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THE PROMISE

A Chronicles of the Pride Lands Story
by John Burkitt and David Morris



LEGAL NOTE:  This original copyrighted work 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.  "The Promise" is 
distributed free of charge excepting reasonable distribution costs.  
Quoting passages from our work, writing original pieces based 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:

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

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 consistent with the literary style or plot of the original work."

The character Isha is the property of Brian Tiemann.  Used with 
permission.

This story is a fictional work, but we don't claim that any resemblance 
to any characters living or dead is purely coincidental.  With love and 
respect, we acknowledge the debt we owe to those who taught us how to 
laugh and cry.  Without acting as clear models for any one character, 
many great souls, some non-human, have been woven deeply into the fabric 
of our lives only to end up in "The Promise."


FOREWORD BY THE AUTHORS:

	After the stylistic experiment of "The Leonid Saga," it was 
comforting to return to something tried and true.  But would be unfair 
to say "The Promise" was not experimental.  All of the Chronicles 
stories have been like exploring new worlds.  Even my most devoted fans-
-and some of them are very wonderful--could not enjoy reading these 
stories any more than Dave and I enjoyed writing them.  I recall with 
misty eyes the joys and suffering of certain favorite characters.  Once 
in "Under the Acacias" I strove to capture in one short paragraph the 
way I felt about Uzuri before finishing the main Chronicles series.  It 
was my way of thanking her for all the wondrous experiences she had 
given me.  The sky outside was soft and purple, and the stars were 
winking into splendor one by one.  I sat at the keyboard and typed the 
one short paragraph:
	"Inside the cave, Rafiki sat bent over with age.  In his lap was 
Uzuri's head.  She was too old and sick to pretend anymore, and when 
Rafiki put his hand down to stroke her cheek, she took his fingertips in 
her mouth and gave them a gentle squeeze between her teeth.  Tears 
welled up in Rafiki's eyes."
	I wept.  Her charm was a two-edged sword that cut both ways.  One 
moment I was Makaka circling her warm, soft neck with my arms and 
listening to her soft breath.  Then I was witnessing an intimate and 
tender moment of grief.  When Uzuri died, I knelt, put my arm around 
Rafiki and hugged him.  "Look at her," I said.  "Isn't she beautiful."  
Only he didn't hear me or see me.  That's when it really started to 
hurt, for we had switched roles.  I was the imaginary character, the 
shadow without form or substance.  
	Writing another story always seems to help.  Depressed, I turned 
my eyes to The Leonid Saga, and then to The Promise.  I hope my simple 
therapy makes you feel better too.

 					--  John Burkitt
					    Nashville, Tennessee  1997

	Everyone who takes the time to read or write fiction of any sort 
has favorite moments that they enjoy, things that take on a new meaning 
and characters that stand apart from the rest of the text.
	How do they do this?  It goes beyond the magic an author weaves 
into his or her work and into the characters themselves.  Like us, each 
of them has their hopes and dreams.  And all to often, like us, those 
are disrupted by forces beyond our control and smashed to lie in pieces 
at our feet.
	It is those who pick up the pieces and keep on going regardless 
that earn our admiration.  Those that endure the pain because they know 
that pain is as much a part of life as pleasure, and that pain cannot 
last forever...but love always endures.
	Those like Mabatu and Isha.

					--  David Morris
					    Wilmington, North Carolina   1997


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

To Trey McElveen who read and re-read the rough copy with a kindly but 
critical eye.  To Mirco Zacher who suggested the idea of covering 
Mabatu's pride in a fanfic.  To all our fans whose kind letters 
encouraged us to take the time to do this.  And last but not least to 
every Disney employee that worked on The Lion King and felt, even for a 
moment, that it was more than just a job.  You hear that, Andreas Deja?


CHAPTER:  THE BEGINNING

		"It was a hard journey they made, but one they walked 
out of love for you."

                        	   -- Umande


	The anniversary of Taka's reign was also the anniversary of 
Mufasa's death.  Taka hated to stand in the shadow of his brother and 
forbade Gopa the stork to spread the news.
	Still, out of love for Elanna, he celebrated his first wedding 
anniversary.  By tradition he went hunting and what he killed would go 
to his wife.  He was not much of a hunter, and the best prey he could 
find was an old honey badger too weak to defend itself.  Under most 
circumstances, badgers would not have been considered prey, but this 
gift was his best effort and a token of love.  Elanna would understand.  
Besides, he felt a certain satisfaction in conquering an old fear from 
his cubhood days.
	With a cut on his muzzle and still panting, Taka crept up the side 
of Pride Rock and stalked into the cave, the badger dangling from his 
jaws.  Elanna looked up expectantly.  She saw the gift and knew at once 
what it meant.
	With the excitement of a puppy about to be fondled, Taka closed 
the remaining distance with ears erect and tail twitching.  He dropped 
the gift at her feet and smiled.  "Happy anniversary, my darling 
Lannie!"
	"Oh look, a badger!"  She rose at once and rubbed him sinuously 
full length.  Then she raised on her hind legs and put her arms around 
his neck, rubbing his face with hers and bearing him lovingly to the 
ground where she panted in soft leonine laughter.  "You didn't forget!"
	"You'd better eat it while it's still warm."
	"Forget the meat, my husband.  Have I told you lately that I love 
you?"
	"Every day.  It's what wakes me up every morning and it's my 
lullaby every night."  He touched her with his gentle pink tongue and 
reached up with a paw to fondle her cheek.  "Oh gods, I love you more 
than life itself!"
	In the midst of their intimate moment, Isha came in.  "Sire, 
there's a strange lioness that wants to see you."
	"A strange lioness??  What does she want?"
	"She won't tell us."
	He nuzzled Elanna.  "I'll be right back.  Remember where we left 
off."
	Taka headed to the mouth of the cave.  A miserable creature was 
slowly trudging up the side of Pride Rock.  "Who is that?"
	"Her name is Kako," Isha said.  "She came from the east."
	He could tell that she was expecting cubs, but her face lacked the 
radiance lions called the "light in the eyes."  She slowly strode before 
the Pride Sisters, and each one dropped her eyes in turn.  She was 
beautiful and noble in her suffering.  Taka felt that he could relate to 
her somehow.  He had known suffering intimately, and realized with a 
shock that he could almost read her thoughts.
	She walked unsteadily to the mouth of the cave and looked in 
Taka's eyes.  "Please help me."
	Taka looked back into her hazel eyes.  The sadness in them was 
overwhelming, but she managed to straighten herself and put forth some 
pride in her bearing.  It was clear that she was used to being 
respected.
	"My dear, what brings you to my kingdom?"
	"I'm seeking a home."
	"Why are you homeless?"  He looked at her with pity.  "You have--
you had--a mate.  Did he die, or were you a rogue lioness?"
	She looked at him directly in the eyes.  "I am a good huntress--
one of the best in these parts, and I can prove it.  My name is Kako."
	"Well, Kako, you aren't guilty of some crime are you?  Or--ugh--
sick with something catching?"
	Again she looked at him unwaveringly.  "If you don't want me, I 
can move on.  But I am not sick and I have committed no crime."
	"And you actually want to come here?"  He glanced around at the 
hyenas and back at her.  "Why, pray tell?"
	She stood as regal and silent as a statue and kept looking him in 
the eyes.  Taka could not explain it, but he felt a deep shame, a 
feeling of unworthiness he would have only expected from the white 
lioness herself.  If she needed a home, somehow he must make provide 
one.
	He glanced about at the other lionesses and could see expectation 
in their faces.  Clearly this Kako had their sympathies.  Besides, her 
blend of pride and sadness put thorns in his heart.
	"Kako, my heart is not made of stone.  You do not show me proper 
deference, but I will not turn you away.  Will you accept my authority 
as your King?"
	She gave a single silent nod.
	Taka looked into her large, sad eyes and regarded the droop of her 
ears and tail.  "I will respect your privacy and require my pride to do 
likewise.  But may I hope to see you smile someday?  Your sadness staves 
me through."
	Tears formed in Kako's eyes and began to roll down her cheeks.  
She did not avert her gaze, though her chin trembled and her breath came 
in short gasps.  Taka struggled to maintain his regal pose, even though 
silver tears formed in his eyes and worked their way down his cheeks.  
But after a few moments of exquisite pain, Taka had to look away.  
"Isha, Uzuri, see to her needs."
	Taka wandered into the cave where Elanna sat by the badger.  
"Well, how did it go?" she asked.
	"Lannie," he half whispered, "I think I just saw a ghost."  He 
nuzzled her desperately, drying his tears against her sympathetic 
shoulder.  Then he settled next to her, trying to recapture his good 
mood as she ate.


CHAPTER:  THE SISTERHOOD

	Kako was greatly helped by the love and support of her new pride 
sisters, and she looked for a way to show her gratitude.  She offered to 
join them on the evening hunt though she had not studied the land.
	As the Pride Sisters gathered up, talk centered on the new 
arrival.  The few details they could pry out of Kako's dark past were 
tantalizing.  She had borne cubs before and had survived an attempt on 
her life when she was three moons old.  She said that she had once seen 
the white lioness herself, Minshasa the blessed.  But the reason for her 
exile was sealed away behind her soft, enigmatic hazel eyes.
	Kako had many questions herself.  She did not understand why Taka 
put up with hyenas or why he did not require them to hunt for 
themselves.  "You would think he owed them a big favor."
	Sarabi remembered how Taka had loved her once, and she raised a 
half-hearted defense for the sake of what he once meant to her.
	"There is a curse on him.  I used to deny it.  I thought it was 
foolishness, but I have seen it grow and spread destruction over 
everything he touches.  He despises life, but he fears death, and so he 
goes on through a never-ending nightmare."
	"I could see it in his eyes," Kako said.
	"We were going to be married, but he wanted to leave the Pride 
Lands with him.  I told him that I couldn't, so he asked me to choose 
between my home and his love."
	"And you chose to stay?"
	Sarabi looked down.  "Yes."  She sighed.  "Kako, you must 
understand, I loved Taka like a brother, but not like a husband.  I 
loved Mufasa, and if you've ever been in love, you know how hard it is 
to fight your own heart."
	Kako's eyes filled with tears and her chin trembled.  "It's almost 
impossible, but it can be done.  It really can."
	Sarabi blinked.  A tear ran down her cheek.  "Kako, honey tree, 
I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to bring up painful things!"
	"Don't be sorry," Kako said.  She nuzzled Sarabi.  "Where did the 
hyenas come into this?"
	"Taka went away to find peace at the bottom of the gorge.  Fabana 
stopped him.  She adopted him, and when his mother Akase died, she was 
his only family.  I must admit that her love for him is almost leonine 
in its strength and I feel she is a good person--for a hyena."
	"OK.  I might have invited Fabana to stay, but her whole clan too?  
Does he always act without weighing the consequences??"
	Sarabi sighed deeply.  "I didn't say it made sense.  I only said 
he has known a lot of pain in his life, and somehow they make him feel 
better.  It's strange, but he's always been a little strange."
	"A lot strange if you ask me," Isha said.
	"I didn't," Sarabi said with mild irritation.
	Kako quickly nuzzled Sarabi.  "Well you girls make ME feel better.  
I didn't mean to cause any problems."
	"You didn't," Isha said, nuzzling Kako and then kissing Sarabi.  
"We have our little scrapes, but we're a sisterhood."
	Kako set about to prove herself on the hunt.  She was very 
focused, as intense on the hunt as she was facing Taka.  The hunt was a 
dance between predator and prey, and Kako was a graceful ballerina, a 
thing of beauty and deadliness.  Uzuri gave her wide latitude in 
choosing her own approach, sure she had another Avina in her care.  It 
proved to be correct, and while the others pursued a group strategy, 
Kako silently crept up on a bontebok.  Her rush was sudden, terrible, 
and victorious.  Isha gasped with amazement at her effortless grace even 
in the kill, and came to her as she stood over her trophy.  Isha nuzzled 
her warmly and said, "Well done, my sister!"
	"May we be sisters?"
	"Of course.  I take some pride in my own hunting skills.  It will 
be a bond between us."
	Kako nuzzled her back.  "Even so.  And we are passionate about our 
beliefs.  That is another bond between us."
	Isha led her away a short distance.  "Kako, I wouldn't dream of 
asking you in front of the others.  But if we are going to be sisters, 
confide in me."
	Kako looked away and sighed.  "If we are going to be sisters, 
insist that I say nothing.  Turn from me even if I come willingly to 
pour out my heart.  You must give me the strength to bear this awful 
secret for the love of one I left behind and one I bear inside me.  Help 
me, Isha--a lot depends on it.  Help me!"
	"Forgive me," Isha said quietly.  In lion fashion, she put her paw 
over Kako's mouth and then kissed her.  "I have sealed the secret away.  
But from this point on, let no new secrets divide us, Sis."
	"I'd like that," Kako said, breathing out a sigh and smiling for 
the first time.


CHAPTER:  THE LITTLE STRANGER

	Kako was always present on the hunt, even the days she was sick 
with a fever and barely able to stay awake.  Her pregnancy was only an 
inconvenience to her, one she dealt with firmly.
	One night they were hunting wildebeests.  Kako's gait was 
unsteady, and often gritted her teeth in pain.  Uzuri was loathe to 
order her home, so impressed was she by her courageous dignity, but she 
winced when Kako held her cries to a stifled moan to keep from alerting 
the prey.
	Uzuri stalked closer and closer to the herd, excited by the 
prospect of getting a decent kill for the first time in a long while.
	Fanning out to the full width of the crescent, the huntresses 
awaited Uzuri's signal.  Kako was on the left tip, a position requiring 
some skill, but she had proved her worthiness time and time again.  Kako 
was tense and preoccupied, fighting her discomfort with a will only a 
lioness could muster.
	Uzuri's ears twitched.  She sprang from cover and soared toward 
the herd like a golden hawk.  Sarabi closed in quickly from the right to 
drive the herd as it blossomed into full retreat.  Kako lumbered along 
on the left, trying to block out her pain and give her best effort.
	Uzuri closed on a wildebeest, locked in a battle of two wills to 
survive.  Three other lionesses swarmed over the unfortunate beast and 
soon it was gasping for its final breath with Uzuri's strong jaws closed 
on its throat.  The pride would survive another week.
	On the left flank, Kako let out a shriek of agony.  It galvanized 
the other lionesses who thought she had been gored.  Isha and Sarafina 
came running to her aid.
	Kako was trying to stagger out of the way of an oncoming wall of 
animals. Isha and Fini rushed to her side.  They snarled and clawed, 
parting the wildebeests the way a large rock in a stream divides the 
water until she was out of danger.  Isha trembled like a leaf.  "Whoa, 
girl, that was a close one!"
	Sarafina said, and without irreverence, "I know how Mufasa must 
have felt.  They look different when they're running AT you.  They're 
BIG."
	"I know."
	"Oh gods!!" Kako shrieked, her slow, unsteady gait betraying her 
extreme agony.  Isha and Sarafina looked around at their pride sister 
grimacing in agony.  Her water broke, quickly soaking the fur on her leg 
with blood and humors.  She stumbled a couple of steps toward her 
friends and she moaned.  "Help me!  Somebody help me!"
	"Lay down!  Lay down!"  Isha ran to her as she collapsed on her 
side.  "Kako!  Honey Tree!  It's going to be all right!"
	"Isha, you're so good to me.  I love you, Isha."
	"I love you too.  Don't you die on me, girl!  Now listen to me--I 
know you're in pain, but bear down.  Push as hard as you can, and it 
will be over sooner."
	"I don't think I can."  Kako gritted her teeth as a moan of agony 
escaped her.  "Aiheu!  God help me!  Help me!"
	"Bear down!" Isha said in a commanding voice.  "Do it!"
	Kako's eyes bulged until the whites showed, and sweat popped out, 
matting her fur.  "I'm trying, Isha!  I'm trying!  I shouldn't have come 
out tonight!"
	"I hate to say I told you so," Isha said, trying to be calm.  But 
the tip of her tail twitched nervously.  "Push!  Bear down, for God's 
sake!  Push!!"
	Oh gods!"  She gasped.  "I think something's happening!"
	Blood stained the grass near her tail.  "Look!" Uzuri said.  "Here 
it comes!"
	"Come on, Honey Tree!"  Isha kissed her on the cheek.  "You can do 
it, Sis!"
	A half smile broke through the tense face on Kako.  "Yes, I can!  
I can!  It's happening!"
	With a half-choked-back shriek, Kako expelled a small body still 
wrapped in its maternal cloak.  Excitedly, Isha pulled the sac from the 
infant and began to clean it off.
	Uzuri came over excitedly.  "Oh, look at him!  He's beautiful!"  
The other pride sisters gathered around in respectful silence before the 
start of a new life.
	Isha said, "Mother, behold your son."  
	Panting with the effort of bringing life into the world, Kako 
looked at the small, wet treasure that God had given her.  "Come, my 
son."  She gently nudged the small child against her abdomen and lay 
exhausted as he took his first meal under the starry sky.  With a tired 
smile, Kako said, "He was born at night.  He'll be a mighty hunter 
someday."
	Isha 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."


CHAPTER:  MORE THAN AN UNCLE

	Kako was worried about presenting Mabatu to the King.  She had 
seen only compassion and kindness in Taka's eyes, but she had also 
heard--and overheard--a lot of things about him that distressed her.
	There were always the hyenas.  It struck Kako as unnatural that 
they would be sharing the rock with lions.  Certainly Mufasa would never 
have permitted such a thing.  Everyone spoke of Mufasa like some sort of 
Mano with golden fur.  Everyone, that was, except Taka.  Once when 
coaxed to speak of his brother, Taka told Kako that Mufasa was dull 
witted and more obsessed with popularity than with handing down the hard 
decisions that a King should make.  "He sat watching the wildebeests 
while I paid attention to my lessons.  Alas, cruel irony of fate, he was 
trampled by them.  The one good thing I can say about him was that he 
loved his son."
	Kako had noticed that Taka was a little odd.  He had a certain 
intensity when he stared at her right in the eyes, and he possessed a 
lot of strange mannerisms.  But she tried to convince herself that the 
other lionesses were unfairly prejudiced against him.  And of course, 
she did not dream that Taka had driven out his nephew and murdered his 
own brother!
	Kako finished Mabatu's first meal, then she took him gently by the 
scruff of the neck and carried him gingerly back to Pride Rock to her 
favorite haunt.
	The king came running down the trail.  When Taka first caught 
sight of young Mabatu, he was elated.  "Look at him!  Isn't he a 
looker!"
	Kako looked up and smiled pleasantly.  "They say love makes the 
child beautiful," she replied.  "I gave up everything for him, and it 
shows."
	Indeed, after the hunt was divided, all the lionesses filed by to 
pay their respects and many of them mentioned his good looks.  It was a 
saying among the lionesses that handsome cubs often grew up to be plain, 
and sometimes the homeliest cubs grew up to be stunningly beautiful.  
But it didn't keep them from hoping he would one day live up to his 
promise.
	Taka's sense of duty compelled him at the sight of the proud 
stranger caring for her child in a strange land.  As ruler of the pride, 
he felt responsible for them and went beyond what was necessary to 
insure their comfort.  During the days of Mabatu's milk, Taka would save 
choice portions of the kills for Kako so that her milk would be 
wholesome and plentiful.  And when Mabatu began to try solid food, Taka 
would bring him tempting tidbits to eat.  Baba, as he was often called, 
found Taka more of a father than an Uncle.
	Despite all the lavish attention paid her by the king, Kako was 
somehow immune from the prejudice that had tarnished Elanna.  It was all 
right that Taka loved her like a sister and loved Mabatu like a son.  
All who knew them felt the same way.  If anything, it helped Taka's 
perception among the Pride Sisters, and while he was never liked as a 
King, he was tolerated because of his care for little Baba.  Even Isha 
paid him grudging respect when she saw him give up part of his share of 
the kill for the cub.
	Once briefly Elanna expressed a little jealousy of Kako and the 
attention she was getting.  But Taka kissed her and nuzzled her and 
said, "In her I see my deepest pains.  In you I see my deepest joys."


CHAPTER:  LEAN RATIONS

	When Mabatu was three moons old, he went to his Auntie Isha for 
his nightly lesson in star lore.  She had to cancel class because the 
sky was overcast.  A bolt of lightning flashed and within moments it was 
raining heavily.  That rain would be remembered for a long time because 
it was the last one before the drought.
	Hunting had already begun to suffer in the Pride Lands because of 
the hyenas.  Besides taking many of the best resting places, shedding 
hair and raising a smell that many lions called `oppressive' or 
`downright disgusting,' the hyenas ate a lot for animals their size.  
There were signs they hid away some of the prey as well.  And while the 
lionesses never killed rabbits, their small carcasses were found more 
and more often.  The hyenas were eating much better than the lions, and 
the issue began to raise some angry words among the Pride Sisters who 
had to hunt for their own cubs.
	Then came the terrible draught that would be known for many years 
after as `Taka's scourge.'  It seemed like an unfair name, but Rafiki 
assured them later that One-who-makes-rain was holding back the water 
because of Taka himself.
	For the first week without rain, no one was alarmed.  Two dry 
weeks seemed odd.  Three weeks, and lionesses began to make remarks.  
But after four weeks without rain, hunting began to become an exercise 
in frustration. 
	Among the first to leave the Pride Lands were the hunters.  Timid 
at first, but progressively more bold, the cheetahs would stand the 
humiliation of a shamefully long wait to see the king.  Then Taka would 
listen politely to their complaints, say something patronizing, and 
dismiss them.
	Eventually the cheetahs left, followed shortly by the leopards 
that haunted the edges of the Pride Lands.  Before the drought was over, 
the foxes, wild dogs, and eagles would desert the land.  Only the 
vultures never left, but they had their eyes on Pride Rock and bigger 
game.
	Little Baba's appetite was growing along with his body.  His 
"Uncle Taka" had to work harder to find enough for him to eat.  As the 
river receded, several shallow pools formed along the edges where fish 
were trapped.  The hyenas tended to raid theose as soon as they formed, 
though the lionesses eventually caught on and would keep a watchful eye 
along the bank.  Those fish were all that stood between them and 
starvation, and they dared the hyenas to touch them under pain of death.  
Taka used his royal privilege, however, and brought Baba a couple of 
large fish.  When Baba turned from them, Taka sighed and said morosely, 
"But I caught them myself just for you."
	Baba sniffed of them again and tried one.  It was not bad, and he 
quickly downed it with a look of pleasure.  Then he started to eat the 
other, but stopped.  "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 face, stunned.  "What a kind thing to 
do," he said, giving him a warm nuzzle.  "I love you, Baba."
	"I love you too."


CHAPTER:  THE SUITOR

	Kako was dubious about Taka's care of her son, but she adored Isha 
and looked forward to her visits.  Isha had endless patience with the 
boisterous love Mabatu gave her, stoically enduring his pounces at her 
tail, his tugging at her ears and his snapping at her heels.  She knew 
when the rough play was over he would look to her with unadulterated 
love.  Then she would hold him close with joy, kissing his small face 
and fondling him with her paw.  
	One day when Isha came to take care of Mabatu while Kako went to 
see Rafiki.  Kako 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 moon 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.  That's my reward."
	While Kako was gone, Isha settled down to watch him play until he 
was ready for sleep.  But he was in high spirits and kept challenging 
her to a fight so they wrestled instead.  Mabatu had a size 
disadvantage, but he'd learned a new move, and he grabbed for her hind 
leg, pulling her off balance.  When she toppled easily, he pounced on 
her stomach and giggled.  "Gotcha!"
	"What a little stinker!"  She crawled out from under him, dusted 
herself off, and said, "I'll get you next time, you little rat fink."
	He reached up and kissed her.  "I love you."
	"I love you too."
	He smiled.  "Are you married?"
	She laughed self-consciously.  "No.  But maybe someday the right 
lion will come along."
	He kissed her again.  "When I grow up, I want to marry you."
	"Oh, Baba!"  She pawed him and giggled.  "What am I going to do 
with you!"
	"Please don't laugh at me.  I meant it."
	She paused and looked at the very sincere, sensitive look in his 
eyes.  Indeed, he 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 and rubbed his cheek with her large paw.  He 
looked at her with absolute love and touched her paw with his.  A deep 
warmth spread through, and her eyes shone like stars.  "That 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 meekly submitted to the ritual without the usual 
objections.  As she cleaned his fur, he purred quietly and looked deeply 
into her eyes.  Even his own mother could not get him to behave while 
she bathed him, much less force him to enjoy it.
	Mabatu was sorry to see his mother come back from Rafiki's 
appointment so soon.  He greeted her affectionately, but was loathe to 
let Isha go.  Isha kissed him more than usual and nuzzled him.  "I love 
you, my special little boy."
	"I love you too."
	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 merrily.
	Embarrassed, 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!"


CHAPTER:  OUR LITTLE SECRET

	Isha did not know if Kako had heard any of the snide remarks.  She 
grimaced with embarrassment as she went to see Mabatu's mother and clear 
things up once and for all.
	"Isha!" Kako said with her usual sunshine.  She nuzzled Isha and 
patted her shoulder with a paw.  "You're so sweet taking care of my 
Baba.  He had such a good time last night, he was talking about it on 
and on!"
	"Oh?"  Isha smiled timidly.  "Anything I should know about?"
	Kako's ears twitched, but she made nothing of it as if she didn't 
hear the question.  Isha was not about to ask it again.
	Baba saw her and came running up, eyes shining.  "Isha!  Isha!"  
He pounced on her, kissing her with his soft, warm tongue and rubbing 
her face.
	"Hello, Rat Fink!"
	He smiled broadly.  "Hello, Isha!"  Sitting next to her, Baba 
looked at his mother and said, "Guess what I'm going to do when I grow 
up!"
	"I like guessing games," Isha said quickly.  "Baba, I have a 
little secret for you if your Mom doesn't mind."
	"A little secret?" Kako said with a grin.  "Ooooh, sounds 
serious!"
	"Oh it is," Isha said slyly with a wink and a smile.  Gently but 
urgently, she nudged the smiling cub around a few rocks and bushes, then 
said as calmly as she could, "Baba, I don't think you should tell your 
Mom about us yet.  In fact, you shouldn't tell anyone."
	Mabatu's ears sagged.  "Oh."
	"Honey Tree, getting engaged is a big step.  At your age, you 
could still change your mind."
	"But I won't!"  He nuzzled her.  "I love you, Isha!  I'd marry you 
right now if they'd let me."
	"I believe you, Fuzzy Love."  Trying not to hurt his feelings, she 
nuzzled his small body and kissed him.  "Just follow my advice and hold 
off until you get older, like when you're approaching your mantlement.  
Then when you say it, they will understand it the way I do.  You see, if 
you DID happen to change your mind...."
	"But I won't!  I love you!  I really do!"
	"I know.  But let's just say IF you did, you wouldn't have to make 
it up to me.  And I'd understand."
	"You DO love me back, don't you?"
	"What do you think, Baba?"  She lay down and with her paw easily 
scooped her small suitor to her side.  Fondling him with a paw, she 
purred, "You're a special part of me, and if you were taken away, it 
would leave a wound that would bleed.  You're my little golden 
treasure."  Mabatu began to grunt with pleasure at her touch.  "If you 
really love me, it won't be a long two years.  The days will speed past, 
but don't wish them away.  Once you cross that threshold and become a 
lion, all your free and easy days of cubhood are gone forever.  
Understand me, Rat Fink?"
	"Yeah."  He pushed out from under her paw and rubbed his face 
against hers.  "I love you."
	"I love you too."


CHAPTER:  WE'RE TALKING KINGS AND SUCCESSIONS

	Only two and a half months after Elanna married Taka, she began 
having contractions.  She was in danger of having a miscarriage, or at 
least that's what Kako could gather from a few snatches she overheard.  
The hyena guards would not let her too close to Taka's cave, and they 
would not give her a straight answer.
	An old mandrill was escorted quickly to the cave, his hyena guard 
supremely impatient with his unsteady, lumbering gait.  Kako had heard 
of Rafiki.  Whisperings from the hyenas and a few disparaging remarks 
from Taka would lead her to believe that some evil sorcerer was being 
confined in the baobab.  The other lionesses, however, told a different 
story.  She did not know what to believe.
	Rafiki passed close by Kako.  He paused and looked at her.  In a 
kind and bashful voice, he said, "My dear, I don't believe I've seen you 
before.  Has it been that long?"
	The mandrill yelped as one of the guards nipped his flank.  
Quickly he drew his fingers in blessing across her cheek and started on 
before he could be bitten again.
	Kako was watching and listening, but was in a poor position to 
tell what was going on.  She would have to ask Uzuri later.  The 
conversation was anxious and rose and fall, but she could make out very 
little.  Then she heard very clearly, "Rafiki!  Do something!  Anything!  
My son, my son!"
	A few moments of near absolute silence went by.  If this mandrill 
was really a great sorcerer, he would perform some great spell, probably 
in exchange for his freedom.  That was the plan, wasn't it?  "Aiheu," 
she whispered, "give him the power.  Give him the power."
	After a few moments, she heard a loud cry from the cave.  It was 
not an apelike sound but the heart-rending howl of a fully-grown male 
lion whose strength and courage could not even keep a small cub from 
dying before his eyes.
	Isha, her ears and tail drooping, went past bearing a small dead 
male.  "Oh Isha," Kako whispered, pawing her shoulder as she walked by.  
Isha looked around, her eyes red with hopeless tears.  Soon after that, 
escorted by hyenas, Rafiki dragged past as well.  Kako watched the grief 
stricken mandrill limp by, leaning heavily on his staff.  If possible, 
he looked even older and more bent than before.
	Taka came out on the promontory and shouted in his anguish, "If 
there is a God...."  He took in a deep breath and concluded, "....please 
help me!!"  He sat on the end of the promontory, his face bent low and 
sobbed.  Fabana slipped alongside him and held up her finely chiseled 
nose, howling like her heart would crumble.  Even the lionesses that 
hated him most were silent, transfixed by the depth of their grief.  
Then Taka raised his muzzle to the sky, pulled in a deep breath and 
roared with pain.  All of the lionesses took up the sound.  The hyenas 
howled and yammered, and from a nearby acacia, a flight of weaverbirds 
scattered like a living cloud.  The silence that followed could almost 
be nudged by a paw.  All eyes were on the dark-maned lion as he trudged 
down the promontory.
	Still weak in the knees, Taka wended his way down Pride Rock and 
crept slowly to where Kako stood with her son.
	"It seems the Gods have spoken," Taka said.  "There will be no 
prince from my line."  His chin began to tremble and tears spilled down 
his cheeks.  "She can never....the damage has...."
	Fabana quickly pressed her shoulder against his.  "Remember, son.  
You're a king."
	Taka did his best to keep some royal dignity, but he looked like a 
trembling blade of grass caught in a strong wind.  Kako quietly padded 
over and kissed him.  "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."


CHAPTER:  ON THE PROMONTORY

	Mabatu stood on the end of the promontory with Taka and saw the 
sunrise.
	"Look at the light," Taka said.  "See how splendid it makes the 
plain look?  That is my kingdom, and someday it will be yours."
	"When?"
	"When I die," Taka said, solemnly.
	"Then I hope I never get to be king," Mabatu said.
	"What a beautiful, foolish notion!  We all have to go into the 
east when our time comes.  What makes life worth living is what you do 
with the time you have.  Like this morning.  I made sure I woke up to 
show you this, because it was important to me.  When I'm seated among 
the stars, I'll look back on this memory and smile."
	"Me too."  Mabatu leaned against Taka's dark mane.  "So Dad, when 
you were my age, did your dad do this with you?"
	Taka said, "My father was...."  He stiffened and his jaw began to 
quiver.  "He was always....  I mean, we never...."
	The words stuck in his throat.  Tears began to stream down his 
face.
	"What's wrong?"
	"Oh nothing."  He wiped his eyes with a paw.  "Please, don't watch 
me cry.  Please?  Just go run along and see your mother--I'll be with 
you in a minute."
	Reluctantly, sadly, Mabatu nuzzled his king and stalked down the 
promontory leaving Taka alone with his private grief.
	"Aiheu!  Roh'kash!  Anyone!" Taka cried in an anguished voice that 
echoed off the distant hills.  "If you're really out there, why did you 
take my son??  Why??"  He dropped his face to the ground and sobbed 
helplessly.


CHAPTER:  A NICE COLD DIP

	Mabatu was living up to his promise.  Those who thought handsome 
babies often grow up to be plain had to admit that there were exceptions 
to every rule.  At one year of age, Baba was still a youngster, but his 
beauty would turn the heads of the female cubs.  Like warm sunshine was 
his smile, and his walk was a carefully choreographed dance of joy that 
delighted the eye and gladdened the heart.
	Lela padded over to him at the cistern as he stopped to draw 
refreshment and watched him with deepest admiration.  "Baba?  What'cha 
doing now?"
	"I'm seeing what I'd look like with big round wrinkles."
	She laughed.  "I don't think you COULD look ugly if you tried."
	"Oh really?"  He crossed his eyes and covered the end of his nose 
with his tongue.
	"Eww, gross!"  She turned sideways, and bending her body away from 
him, she said, "How about my long, furry tongue!"  She opened her mouth 
and passed her tail along her opposite cheek and wiggled it.
	"Cool!  How about a big wet kiss with it!"  He did likewise.  
"Like this?"
	"Yeah!  That's so sick!"
	"Hey, that's nothing.  Wanna hear me roar?"
	"You, roar??"
	"Sure I can.  Just listen...."  He gulped air several times, then 
with a look of supreme concentration, he held up his snout and vented it 
in a long, soulful belch.
	"You win!" she said, giggling.  "I could NEVER do that!"
	He sprang at her and put his paws around her neck.  Giggling, she 
wrestled with him, planning all the time to let him win but not to let 
it show.
	Back and forth they swayed, standing on hind limbs with a supreme 
effort to unseat each other and pin shoulders to the ground.  Then 
Mabatu lost his footing and rolled backwards.  With a loud splash, he 
landed in the icy cistern, paddling in shock through the chilly waters 
to the side.
	"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Lela said, helping pull him out by the scruff 
of the neck.  As he stood dripping and shivering, she kissed his face.  
"I like you, Baba!  I always have!  I'd never do anything to hurt you!"
	"I know."  He shook off, showering her with moist diamonds.  "Hey, 
so I slipped.  No big deal."
	"So you're not mad?"
	"No."  He touched her cheek with his tongue.  "It's OK."
	"I'm glad."  She kissed him back.  "I really do like you.  Do you 
think I could see you again?"
	He smiled.  "Why not?  Just don't drown me, OK?"
	She laughed.  "It's a deal!"
	Just then, Isha walked by.  "Were you swimming in the cistern?"
	"I'm sorry, Isha.  It was an accident."
	"Well try to be more careful.  Hey, we have to drink that stuff!"  
She nuzzled him.  "I'm headed out to Anteater Kopje to scout out the 
herd if anyone asks where I am."
	"Can I come too??"
	"Sure, if you'll be quiet."
	His face positively glowed.  "Not a word," he said, putting his 
paw over his mouth and winking.  It may have looked funny to other 
creatures, but among lions it is a solemn promise of silence.
	Lela's ears drooped.  "But I wanted to play tag!"
	"Maybe later," Mabatu said.  
	"Tag sounds fun," Isha said, encouragingly.
	"Yeah, but I have stuff to do."  When Isha left, he trotted along 
behind her toward the distant kopje.
	Lela sighed.  "Oh well."  She went and looked in the cistern at 
her reflection, then touched it with a paw.  The waves made her face 
dance, and she had to smile at the effect.  "Maybe tomorrow."


CHAPTER:  OUR DAILY BREAD

	Food was harder to come by and the hyenas started to grumble.  
Shenzi had promised them unending abundance, and that promise was 
failing.  At first, Shenzi claimed that Roh'kash was merely testing 
their faith.  They began to pray almost without ceasing for relief, but 
it did no good.  It was becoming clear to even the strongest believers 
that Roh'kash could and would let them suffer hunger and thirst from the 
Roh'mach clear down to the smallest pup.
	Scrambling not to lose her people's loyalty, Shenzi was looking 
for ways to make the food go further.  Rationing began among the hyenas, 
and they looked toward the lions looking for ways to reduce their 
tremendous appetites as well.  They looked at the male cubs and thought 
they may have found an answer in rushing some mantlements.  Even an 
adolescent lion ate as much as three hyenas.  And who knows, with a 
couple of well-placed teams waiting just outside the border, they might 
even have a way to supplement their diet even more.
	One male cub posed a special threat.  Mabatu was now in line to 
succeed Taka as King, and it was the general opinion of the hyenas he 
would be a powerful and dangerous king who believed Pride Rock was for 
lions alone.  Terrified of the prospect of a bloody war in the making, 
Skulk submerged his usual disdain for lions and offered to take Mabatu 
on a trip around the Eastern Meadow to hunt palm squirrels and rabbits.  
They were gone for only a couple of hours when Skulk came charging into 
Shenzi's cave, fuming and cursing.  "I was SO NICE to him!  You'd think 
I was his real FATHER with the way I treated the brat!  He didn't say 
two words to me the whole time, and when I slipped in the creek, he 
laughed at me!"
	"He's a boy," Shenzi said gently.
	"He's a hyena hater," Skulk said.  "Don't you think I could see it 
in everything he did?  I patted his shoulder, and when he didn't think I 
could see him, he rubbed in the grass to get rid of my scent!"
	Shenzi's eyes narrowed to slits.  "We'll get rid of his scent--
permanently!"
	Makhpil had clearly foreseen that Taka would die young and 
violently.  It was a vague prophesy, but one that filled Shenzi with the 
urgency of the moment.  They didn't have much time before Taka was gone 
and the popular Mabatu became King of a pride full of strong and 
determined lionesses.
	One of them suggested that they kill Mabatu, but there was no 
telling what Taka would do in retribution.  They would have to be more 
subtle.
	Time passed, and unlike some of Taka's mercurial friendships, his 
bond with Mabatu grew closer with each passing day.  So when Mabatu was 
only eighteen moons old, and a few bits of ruff around his neck began to 
form a real mane, the leaders of the clan had a private meeting and 
decided it was time to act.
	But how?  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?  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 came and faced her down.  "If you're lying to me, 
I'll rip you apart!"
	Tears filled her eyes and she touched his cheek with her tongue.  
"You love him, don't you."
	"Yes, I love him."
	She kissed him again.  "Then 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."  She looked down and moaned.  "No one knows what 
torment there is in the wounds we bear inside.  We try to smile when our 
heart is breaking!"
	Taka looked at her in the eyes.  His chin began to tremble.  "I'm 
stove through," he muttered.  Tears began to stream down his face.  "Go, 
Shimbekh."  The hyeness's ears drooped and her tail hung limply.
	"Old friend, we are both stove through."
	"Go, Shimbekh!  Please, just go!"
	Shimbekh trudged outside, the weight of the world stooping her 
shoulders and bowing her head.  Shenzi said, "Very convincing.  You 
really sounded concerned."
	"Go to hell!"
	"See you there, Shimbekh!"
	As Shimbekh walked away, she heard behind her the soft, deep sobs 
of a lion.  Somehow, like a fugitive from a daydream, a memory came back 
to her of playing with her sister Kambra.  What would the pup she was 
think of what she had become?  "What I wouldn't give to lay at my 
mother's side again and nurse myself to sleep!  My heart is so tired, 
Muti.  So tired!  If I could be your pup again just for tonight and feel 
your love once more!"  Tears spilled down her cheeks and she slinked to 
her quarters like a forgotten shadow.
	Mabatu was told two days in advance that he would get a commoner's 
mantlement so he could prepare himself, but he was not told the reason 
why.  Taka was clearly heartbroken, and Mabatu could sense it.  Mabatu 
could not hate him, and no matter what his mother said, he kept faith 
that deep inside Taka loved him as much as ever.
	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 made an impassioned plea for a little more time-
that not waiting a moon or two would condemn him to death--but Taka was 
insistent.  "He will learn.  It's nature's way.  Besides, I will pray 
for him every night."  Tears slid down Taka's cheeks and even Kako could 
see the horrible pain he felt.
	"Won't you at least tell us why you're doing this?"
	"Sometimes love must be firm," he stammered.  "I'm so sorry."


CHAPTER:  LOVE TRIUMPHANT

		As Bor the monkey pounds his fruit
		Upon the tree to free its juice
		And savor its elixir sweet
		So pounds against my anxious chest
		my trembling heart.

           			 --  The Love of Kigali and Lisha

	Mabatu spent the night before his mantlement with Isha.  She 
wanted to teach him everything she could about survival before he faced 
the unforgiving challenges of "The Big World."
	Mabatu was a good fighter for someone his size.  Playful wrestling 
with the other cubs had gracefully prepared him for the serious 
challenges of battle.  Isha still remembered the time he threw her in a 
wrestling match by grabbing one of her hind legs.  They spent little 
time on fighting except for Isha's advice that running away was not 
always shameful or cowardly.  
	Hunting skills were a different matter.  Isha had plenty of fond 
memories of hunting rabbits and antelope with her mother.  Luckily Isha 
grew up in a time when the savanna rejoiced in abundance.  Mabatu was a 
child of hardship, and his mother had to spend toilsome hours hunting 
just to survive.  Little wonder his education was sorely neglected.
	Mabatu had almost no knowledge of stalking and pursuit.  And it 
was clear if he ever caught up to an antelope, he wouldn't know what to 
do with it.  It was an unpleasant surprise to her, for all lionesses 
believed a cub born at night would make a great hunter, and he had 
literally been born on the hunt.  Maybe when old folk wisdoms failed, a 
little determined teaching would have to do.
	"We must look at holds," Isha said.  "Here on the arm, you can 
restrict movement."  She gently gripped his arm above the elbow.  "Here 
on the flank you can rip.  But the throat hold is one of prime 
importance...."  She put her arm across his back.  "You strike them here 
and push with your weight."  Isha leaned into him, nearly pushing him 
over.  "It's important to let your weight do the work.  Then you go for 
the throat and cut off his wind."  She gently mouthed Mabatu's throat.
	Mabatu trembled.  She quickly let go and looked him in the eye.  
"Your heart is pounding.  Are you all right?"
	He stared back.  "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 softly.
	He returned her nuzzle and nibbled at her ear.  Before she could 
pull back with surprise, he said, "Don't hate me.  You don't know how 
long I've waited to do that."  He sighed.  "How VERY long."
	"We need to get back to hunting," she said unsteadily, recognizing 
the look in his eyes.  "We don't have much time."
	"We DON'T have much time.  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."
	She took a step backward.  "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 looked down.  "I wish you wouldn't say that."
	"But you don't deny it."
	"How can I?"  Tears began to roll down her cheeks.  "My poor Baba!  
My precious little Nisei!  I love you more than the food I eat or the 
water I drink.  Even more than the air I breathe.  I would give them up 
if it would save you."
	"I love you, Isha.  I've always loved you."  He kissed away her 
tears.  "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 pawed and nuzzled him.  "Don't think of death.  
You are alive.  There is still hope."
	"How can I be alive?  I've never lived!"  He looked her intently 
in the eyes.  The fire in his hazel eyes was unmistakable even if it was 
uncertain.  "If I could only be close to you, just for tonight, I would 
have LIVED, Isha."
	She looked deeply into his eyes and saw the sincerity of his love.  
Isha was held captive by its overwhelming purity and depth.  She pawed 
him affectionately and he playfully batted back at her.  She drew off a 
length and began to circle him, looking for an opening.  "If you hunt 
big game, prepare to exert yourself."
	He watched her lithe body as it crept gracefully but forcefully 
about him.  Any moment the huntress could rush her prey.  A flick of her 
ears betrayed her attack, but it was not enough warning.  She pounced, 
collaring his throat and wrestling him.  Laughing and panting, she 
nearly shoved him to the ground.  He flailed at her with his arms, but 
struck her very gently.
"I can still throw you," he said.
"Prove it!"  She threw her weight on him with a mighty thrust and 
easily pushed him over.
	Mabatu regained his feet and circled her.  He tried to use his 
weight to push her over, but she had the advantage and sidestepped him.  
She put her arm over his shoulder and began to lean in on him, causing 
his legs to start buckling.  Then when it seemed victory was hers, she 
relaxed and did not move.  He put his head under her arm and pushed her 
over into the grass and looked down into her face.  "Gotcha!"
	Her paw reached up and gently traced the curve of his cheek and 
fondled his chin.  She looked deep into his eyes smiled alluringly as 
his breath came and went like a wild wind.  "Now that you've caught me, 
do what you will."
	"Oh gods!"  Breathless, he knelt down and began to nuzzle her 
passionately, nibbling her ears and pawing her cheek gently.  Her 
fragrance made him tremble, and he kissed her on the cheek and forehead 
murmuring, "Isha, beloved!"
	She whispered, "Not here.  Come, my lover, where the night shall 
hide us away."  They rose from the verdant grass and he walked, pressed 
against her warm, soft body into the shadows.
	When they were alone, he stroked her thigh with his paw.  "How 
could one lioness be so beautiful?"  He expected a reply, but suddenly 
she broke away from him and began to run.
	"Isha, wait!  What did I do??"
	She looked at him reassuringly.  "If you want me, you'll have to 
catch me!"
	He realized it was a game.  Laughing like a cub, he began to 
pursue her through the tall grass.  She cornered sharply like a wise 
huntress, keeping him off balance and maddeningly at bay.  They bounded 
over the hill and down the other side, splashed through a small creek, 
and ran around Anteater Kopje.  She looked back and laughed.  "Can't you 
run faster than that??"
	"Are you kidding??  You haven't seen anything!"
	Driven by the fierce heat of desire, he lunged forward and began 
to narrow the gap with each spring.  Sensing his approach, Isha plunged 
through a field of gold and purple blossoms, somewhat wilted by the 
drought but still holding an essence of their former beauty.  And amid 
the blossoms, she stopped and looked back.
	Mabatu came to a halt and looked at her wonderingly.  "Give up?"
	"You'll need some of that great strength," she said.  "I wouldn't 
leave you drained.  We'll start out simple."  She took a couple of steps 
and crouched among the fragrant blossoms.  "Come, Baba.  Make love to 
me."
	He stared at her apprehensively.  An awkward moment passed.
"Do I not still please you?"
"Isha, you ARE pleasure.  It's just--well--this is my first time.  
I don't know my father and my mother did not speak with me.  All I know 
about making love is a lot of cub gossip."
	She smiled.  "I'll help you if you need it.  Just remember, you 
are saying farewell to cubhood.  Once you've taken this step, you will 
be a lion."  She smiled disarmingly.  "Come and kiss me.  Would you like 
that?"
	He trembled.  "Always!"  He shyly came forward and reached down, 
touching her cheek with his tongue.  She looked up and kissed him 
passionately, pawing at his mane.  She rolled over and stroked his 
throat and chest with her paws, setting him on fire.  "I can feel your 
heart throbbing."  She reached up with a paw and drew his face toward 
hers, kissing him passionately.  In a sultry voice, she purred, "Deep 
inside, you know what you want.  Forget what your head tells you.  Go 
where your feelings lead you.  Make love to me."
	His feelings were strong and clear this time.  She rolled back 
into a crouch, purring softly.  "It's OK.  Don't be afraid."
	He gently mouthed her neck, and trembling with desire he pressed 
himself against her soft golden body.  With faint utterances of 
contentment and pleasure, Baba filled his senses with her love, the love 
that made her his lioness.  Feeling her shudder in his gentle embrace, 
he lived out all the tender fantasies that filled his dreams.  Never had 
he felt so alive as he had in that moment.
"Beloved," she purred, "Are you happy?"
"Delirious!  And you?  Do I please you?"
"Yes!  I feel...I feel..."  She jerked and moaned.  "Oh, Baba!  
Yes!"
Mabatu was drunk with her pleasures, and just as he thought his 
heart would burst, he knew in his own body the ecstasy that made her cry 
out.  He gasped and wanted to let it out in a roar, but he dared not.  
Only a gentle sigh of fulfillment left him, and overcome he nuzzled her 
and stumbled away.
"Will that ever happen again?"
"Many times," Isha said.  "The night is still young."
Panting, he fell in the grass.  "Many times," he said, heaving a 
contented sigh.  "Imagine that!  I must have done something good in my 
life.  Aiheu has been good to me--so have you."
He patted with his paw on the ground, and Isha came and snuggled 
next to him, rolling on her back and stroking his mane with her paw.  "I 
love you," he said simply.  "You're everything I've ever wanted.  And at 
every special moment of my life, you were always there."
"Always," she said.  "Because I love you."
Cubhood was over--he was a lion at last.


CHAPTER:  MID-MOON

	Late that night near mid-moon, he looked at his resting consort 
and said, "Isha, my lover, can I ask you a favor?"  She smiled and said, 
"Again, my little brush fire?"  She licked her paw and groomed her face.  
"Let me prepare myself."
	"No, not that.  When I face Aiheu, I want to face him as your 
husband.  Would you please pledge to me?  Please?  I hear you're not the 
marrying type, but when they ask me who I'm praying for, I want to say 
it's my wife."
	She was stunned.  She'd never been asked quite that way before.  
She only had to think a moment.  "That's the only thing that could make 
this night any better.  I'd be glad--no--honored.  And when I go into 
the east, I'll sit next to you throughout eternity."  She nuzzled him 
and kissed him gently on the cheek, between the eyes, and then rubbed 
his face with her own.  "Maybe I was saving myself all along for my 
little Baba.  My heart is swift prey, and no one else could catch it."
	He smiled warmly and nuzzled her.  "I don't want to catch it.  I 
want to set it free the way your love set me free."  He put his paw on 
her shoulder.  "Before the gods, before the stars, before the assembled 
host I swear to give you my protection, my life, and my comfort 
forever."
	She pawed his face and kissed him.  "Till the last beat of my 
heart, to the last breath I sigh, our lives are one, so help me gods."  
She kissed him again.  "It is done, husband."
	A moment went by when neither of them spoke.  Then, almost 
abruptly, Isha said, "I HAVE to teach you how to survive out there!  I 
won't let it end like this!  I can't!"
	"No more lessons.  These memories have to last me, my wife.  Let's 
lose none of this time together."
	Tears began to stream down Isha's cheeks.  "Baba, I love you!"
	"I love you too, but please don't cry.  I've known love all my 
life, first from my mother, than from my King, my friend and my lover.  
I have no enemies, and no one I've loved has ever left me.  I'm the 
luckiest lion in the world, and you should be glad for me."
	She kissed him and nuzzled him.  "I am.  I love you so much, 
Mabatu!  Who in heaven or earth wouldn't envy me tonight!"
	"I'll come back within the year.  If I don't, then consider 
yourself free to remarry.  Only death can stop me."
	She wept again.  "You must come back!  I'll pray for you each 
night--you can't die!  You mustn't break my heart!"
	"Please don't cry."
	"Don't forbid it.  It makes me feel better."
	He pawed her.  "But I don't want to remember you sad.  Can't I 
make you happy?  Just for a little while?  Be sad tomorrow, but not now-
-this night belongs to us."
	She said, "Yes.  Make love to me.  Let me feel you next to me once 
more."
	He nuzzled her passionately.  "Habusu am I, a prisoner of your 
love."  He rose to his feet and awash with mixed pride and passion he 
tenderly mouthed her throat.

		Far from the crowd whose prying eyes
		Would violate our solitude
		We shall make love among the reeds
		Here unobserved by jealous hearts
		We shall caress.


CHAPTER:  THE SEPARATION

	Isha looked at Kako and her heart sank.  Kako had always been so 
friendly to her and smiled so beautifully.  The beauty was still there, 
but she looked like she was at a funeral, not a mantlement.  Deep 
inside, that's how she felt too.  Mabatu looked very small, pitiful, and 
frightened.  The proud lion of last night shrank down like a disciplined 
cub, pacing about, lost in the whirlpool of his inner turmoil.
	Taka stalked into the meadow with slumped shoulders and dragging 
tail.  He looked like the weight of the world was on him, and indeed he 
looked back as if to see what sat on his back.  He was really watching 
Elanna who filed silently behind him.
	Only Shenzi seemed to be upbeat.  She had never seen a mantlement 
before, and she sought to satisfy her idle curiosity with a little 
pageantry and culture.
	There would be little pageantry.  It was a very private ceremony 
and very somber.  Standing in the midst of the blossoms where the night 
before Baba and Isha had first made love, Kako put on her best smile and 
looked at her hapless son.  "Where has my little cub gone?  All I see is 
this lion."  She shuddered to say it.
	"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."
	He looked deeply into her eyes.  "When you are gone to be with 
your fathers," he stammered, "pray for me."
	"I will pray for you."  Tears began to stream down her cheeks.  
She looked at Taka with desperation and cried, "Oh gods, my son, my 
little son!"
	"Don't cry, mother."  Mabatu 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 back her bitter tears and managed a 
smile.  "Besides, we will meet again among the stars, and nothing will 
separate us.  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.  The gods are with me."
	Isha trembled and tears flooded her eyes.  Mabatu noticed and went 
to her, kissing away her tears.  He 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."
	"Don't die.  Promise me you won't die!"
	"I promise you I'll try not to.  You are everything to me--wife, 
lover and friend.  I will fight to hold on for your sake, and someday 
I'll make a life for us and for our children."
	Isha turned from him and began to sob.  Mabatu quietly walked back 
to his mother and nuzzled her.  He wanted to remember how she felt, 
smelled, and sounded.  He peered into her sad eyes and said, "Mother."
	"My son."  She touched him with her tongue for the last time and 
stroked his cheek with her paw.  "I release you to God."
	Silently, he turned to the north and walked away without looking 
back, as custom dictated.  He reached the edge of the forest and drew 
close to the border of the Pride Lands.  One more small meadow caressed 
his feet in fond farewell.  One last clump of reeds stroked him as he 
stopped for a moment at the far side of the meadow.  "I'll come back for 
you," he murmured quietly.  "Isha, my dearest Isha, I must leave you 
now."  He stepped across the threshold of The Big World and immersed 
himself in uncertainty.


CHAPTER:  A LIFE FOR A LIFE

	As he wandered the strange land, memories of the blissful moments 
he spent with Isha came crowding in on him.  He was unprepared to be out 
on his own, but his greatest fear was not death.  There was a chance 
that Isha would bear his children in the middle of a drought and there 
would be no husband to see to her.  What if the hyenas turned on the 
lion cubs?  What if there were no more rains?
	Isha had begged Taka to be freed from her obligations and leave 
with Mabatu.  Of course, she could not say she had married him, for Taka 
would not have recognized vows taken before mantlement.  It was a 
mistake to speak of leaving to the King.  Not only did he refuse her 
passage, he sent hyenas to trail her every move to prevent her from 
fleeing.  It seems he knew more than he was admitting.
	Grief came to many that day.  An old king had driven off some 
rogue lions that tested his authority.  He and his brother were weak 
from age, and while they had both sired many daughters, there was no son 
to shoulder the load of defending the pride territory from the jealous 
eyes that wanted it.
	Prince Baliaha's life was flowing away in a crimson river.  
Remnants of his once splendid mane lay scattered on the ground, and he 
gasped for breath.  He looked up with eyes that strove to focus.  "Are 
they gone?  Brother, have we driven them off?"
	"Yes, we have."
	"Good," he said with a sigh of resignation.  "They'll come back, 
you know.  And I'm afraid you'll have to handle them alone."
	"You'll recover, but there will be scars."
	Through his pain, Baliaha managed a smile.  "You always were an 
optimist."  His eyes closed tightly, and he went into a seizure.  The 
king looked away in horror and did not see his dying breath escape.
	There was a quiet moment, and a couple of lionesses peeked out of 
the brush.  "How is he?"
	"He's gone."
	They bowed their heads low.  "We will see to him.  I'm sorry, but 
there's another rogue male to the east by the termite mounds."
	He was tortured by grief, but the grief became a terrible rage.  
Whomever this lion was, he would kill!  "A life for a life!" he 
shrieked, foam on his heaving nostrils as he ran like a thing possessed 
across the grassland.


CHAPTER:  THE CONFRONTATION

	Unwittingly, Baba was heading right into the eye of the storm.  He 
was a gentle-natured soul and knew nothing of what he would face in The 
Big World.  He kept a piece of advice that Isha had given him in the 
forefront--let Aiheu be your landmark and he will lead you home.
	Baba came to a stream.  Under the searing sun, he sought to slake 
his thirst in the cool, clean water.  He dipped his muzzle in and drew 
out refreshment, then he reached in with a paw and threw the cold, 
invigorating drops in his face, heaving a sigh of relief.  A nearby 
acacia tree offered some shade, and he crossed the stream and settled 
down for a moment to rest.
	For a moment, all was deceptively peaceful.  Then in the distance, 
he saw the powerful charge of a male lion.  He felt his stomach knot up 
and rise into his chest.
	"Now you pay!" the King snarled, coming to a halt in front of 
Baba.  "Defend yourself!"
	The youth cowered back and bared his teeth.  "Leave me alone!  You 
may kill me, but I'll leave some scars on you!"  
	The old yet powerful lion looked down at Baba.  "What is this??  
You're just a boy!"  He softened.  "Are you lost, son?  Are you looking 
for your mother?"
	Still cowering, but with a trace of pride, he answered, "I'm a 
lion now.  I've been given my mantlement, and what's more, I've taken a 
mate."
	"Wfff!  A lion you are!  But a very young one, my lad.  Drink, 
have something to eat from our kill, and remember that I was kind to you 
when you say your nightly prayers."
	"Thank you."  He drank again from the stream and followed the old 
lion to a zebra kill.  Famished, he looked at the half-eaten kill and 
wondered that so much food could possibly be in one place.  Desperately, 
he tore pieces from the haunch and downed them, feeling the warm meat 
comfort his empty stomach.  "Oh gods, you must be wealthy!"
	The king laughed.  "I do all right."
	After the edge was off Baba's hunger, they talked.
	"What is your name, son?"
	"Mabatu."
	"Then we are both the same name!  Do you have a nickname?"
	"They call me Baba."
	"So who drove you off so young, Baba?"
	"Scar."
	"Scar??"  He looked at him intently.  "By any chance, do you know 
Kako?"
	"Sure.  She's my mother."
	A look of tenderness warmed the old king's face.  "Kako's son?"  
He reached out with a paw and fondled Baba's cheek, then turned his face 
with it from side to side as he saw the resemblance.  "So you are."  
Purring deeply, King Mabatu came forward and nuzzled Baba very gently.  
"The shaman spoke truly.  If Kako is your mother, then you are welcome 
here.  My brother died today, but Aiheu has sent me a son.  Welcome your 
new father, Prince Baba!"
	Filled with wonder at his good fortune, and moved by the gentle 
lion's plea, Mabatu nuzzled him and pawed his right shoulder.  "I touch 
your mane!  Aiheu make long and happy your days."
	King Mabatu sat down in the shade of some acacias and heard Baba's 
story.  He nodded solemnly and mused that even though his son had bad 
luck, perhaps Aiheu meant it for good.  He introduced one of his 
lionesses--his youngest daughter Umande.  "Mandy dear, show the new 
prince around his kingdom.  If he's going to rule someday, he needs to 
know the boundaries."


CHAPTER:  SETTLING IN

	Umande was in very high spirits.  "Mabatu?"
	"Maybe I should go by Baba.  It's less confusing.  Besides, that's 
what my friends call me."
	"I'd like to be your friend, Baba."  She smiled broadly.  "You 
don't know what your coming has done for us.  You're the son my father 
never had.  You're our hope for a future."
	"Whoa!" he said.  "Really?"
	"Would I joke about a thing like that?"  She nuzzled him 
playfully.  "You think you've had a run of bad luck, but you're really 
very lucky, you know?"
	"I don't think I've had any bad luck.  God has been very good to 
me.  Your King is the second one who asked me to be his son.  I never 
knew my real father, but I've known a lot of love in my life."  He 
nuzzled her back.  "So your Dad knew my Mom?"
	"I suppose so.  They hit it off well, I'd say."
	A few clouds passed in front of the sun giving a moment of blessed 
respite from the mid-sun heat.  A cool wind began to blow with the 
promise of moisture for the thirsty land.  A drop fell, playfully 
teasing the end of Mabatu's nose.  Then a couple more fell.  "Hey, it's 
going to rain!"  He almost danced.  "Imagine that!  Rain at last!"
	"What's so great about that?  It rains all the time."
	"It does??"  He remembered something his mother told him long ago 
and sighed.  "I guess she was right.  It's only back home that it never 
rains.  It's been many moons since we've had any rain."
	"Many moons, you say?  What's happened to the grass?  It looks 
like that would ruin hunting."
	"Hunting?  Half-rotted fish trapped in pools as our beautiful 
river dries up to nothing.  Dead birds, snakes, lizards.  Do you realize 
that zebra is the first thing with hair on it I've eaten since I was 
belly-high to my mother?"  He sighed.  "Some day I'm going back for her, 
hyenas or no hyenas, and I'm getting her out of that hell hole.  There 
will be a lot of scores settled that day, I promise you."
	"Poor Baba!"  She trotted in a lope that was easy and looked 
casual but moved a lot of ground beneath her.  "These trees form one 
corner of our land.  Note the scent, Baba.  Note it carefully--it's my 
Dad's, and it's all that comes between us and danger."
	Baba sniffed of a tree trunk, closed his eyes and grimaced.  The 
fragrance of his father's urine was a safe smell, one that he would 
remember and respect.  Then he lifted his leg and marked the tree.  
"There!  You try to touch that old lion, you'll have to kill me first!"  
His face lost its cublike timidity and he was the lion that made love to 
Isha once again.  "I wish I'd known my Uncle Baliaha.  He sounds like a 
decent sort of lion."
	"He was more than decent.  He loved us with his whole heart.  He 
was a lot like you--he said they'd have to kill him first, and they did.  
Don't take foolish chances, Baba.  You're our only hope."
	"But I'm young.  At least I have a chance."
	"You have more than a chance.  Aiheu sent you to us, and he never 
does anything halfway.  I believe you are blessed, our little Nisei."
	Baba smiled.  That's what Isha had called him so tenderly as they 
made love under the moon.  He reached over and touched Umande with his 
tongue.
	It was a long trip from the copse to the termite mounds, or so it 
seemed to Baba who had never had to walk boundary lines before.  As a 
lion, short-legged or no, he had to satisfy the mandates of lionhood 
laid down by Aiheu to the first Baba many generations ago.  Again, he 
added his mark to the termite mounds, then turned to face Boundary 
Kopje.  Another long walk, and another scent mark later, they followed 
the creek from Boundary Kopje to Bontebok Copse, and then back to where 
they started.  It was part of his leonine heritage that he remembered 
the border vividly after one trip, even as he remembered his new 
father's scent.  He looked out into the lands beyond his domain, raised 
his muzzle and uttered a loud, deep roar.  "This land is mine!  Baba, 
son of Mabatu!  Trespass at your peril!"
	Umande said, "This time, let's see YOU find the markers."
	Baba looked around, wide eyed.  "Again??"


CHAPTER:  TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER

	Baba came home in the evening as the stars were just appearing; 
quite worn out from walking the beat.  He groaned as he flopped to the 
grass, idly wondering just HOW the King did that every day.  His mind 
kept wandering back to Isha.  What was she doing tonight?  Out on the 
hunt with Uzuri and Sarafina and Mom?  He thought about Taka who had 
driven him out, and wondered what he meant when he whispered, "It's for 
your own good."  He could not conceive of Taka not loving him, and in 
this he was right.  Isha's sweet voice came back to him, intoxicating 
with its subtle nuances of passion as she told him the words he wanted 
to hear all his life.  "Let us make love...."
	Umande glided over and settled herself next to him.
"Tired, Baba?"
	He nodded and sighed deeply.
There was more than physical pain marking his face.  Umande sensed 
that and was drawn to it.  She nuzzled him softly.  "Poor dear.  You're 
worn out."  
Baba was covered in dust and sweat.  Umande began to groom him 
gently, licking his shoulders and mane, brushing his ears, and cleaning 
his face.
	Baba could feel in her care an echo of his mother's gentle touch.  
It transported him back to a simpler life he once lived in the shadow of 
Pride Rock.  He half closed his eyes and purred softly.
	"Do you like me, Baba?"
	"Of course I like you, Mandy."
	"I like you too.  I feel like I've known you all my life."
	"That's nice," he said, grunting with pleasure as she groomed 
behind his ears.  "Oh that feels good."
	She passed her paw across the tops of his shoulders and along the 
ridge of his back, fondling his strong but aching muscles.  "Oh yes!" he 
said, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a deep sigh.  She 
kneaded the small of his back and nosed a couple of small abrasions he 
got in the reeds.  It felt heavenly.
	Then, without warning, she nuzzled him in the fold of his thigh, 
touching one of his rudimentary teats with her tongue.  His eyes flew 
open and his ears sprang up.  "Mandy?"
	"Yes, Baba?" she purred, fondling his buttocks.
	"Hey, what are you doing??"
	"Doesn't it please you?"
	"That's not the point!"  He got up and walked a couple of lengths 
away, then turned to look at her, his tail clamped tightly down.
	"I'm sorry if I was too forward.  I've never been with a lion 
before."  She looked at him contritely but still passionate.  She came 
to him and rubbed him full length.  "Let me comfort you tonight.  I want 
to feel you close to me."
	"Umande, please!"
	"I want to worship your beautiful body.  I want to make you 
supremely happy.  Baba, tell me what pleases you.  Love me, Baba!  Love 
me, please!  Don't you think I'm beautiful?  Don't you want me?"
	Baba trembled.  He struggled to remember Isha and blot out the 
temptation before him, but Umande was there, alive and warm.  He 
remembered what Isha said about finding another.  He also remembered how 
he replied.  Now if he could only wait till things were better, he could 
come back for her--if she still wanted him.
	"You are indeed beautiful," Baba said.  "Everything about you 
pleases me to the bone.  God help me, I want you despite myself."
	She pawed his face softly and kissed him.  "From the moment I saw 
you, I longed for you.  Now I'm in the season when my blood burns like a 
brush fire.  Let my fragrance fill you with desire.  Everything I am or 
ever will be I willingly cast at your feet."
	The racing of his youthful passions did not blind him to his 
responsibilities, and he took in a deep breath and let it out.  "I would 
take you here and now and never let you go.  But I am pledged to Isha 
and I have made love to her.  She may even have my children.  Do not 
take advantage of my pain."  He bent and kissed her cheek warmly.  "I 
have loved Isha since I was a cub, and someday I will bring her here to 
live.  I love her, and I hope you will be her friend.  I hope you can 
still be my friend as well."
	He turned and stalked away silently.  She stared heartbroken at 
him as he vanished into the night.  "You could change your mind!  I will 
wait for you, Baba!  Love will prevail, and don't be ashamed to admit 
it."  Tears filled her eyes and she collapsed on the ground.
Then she heard a step behind her.  King Mabatu came forward, his 
face tight and set.  "Umande.  I would speak with you."
	"Yes, Father?"
	"Tears, my darling daughter?"  He kissed her.  "What you seek can 
never be."  Gently but firmly he said, "I want you to leave him alone 
until your season is over.  Is that clear?"
	"Why, father?  I've done nothing wrong!"
	"I know...and I wish it to remain so."
	"Why?  He's the first lion I've ever known that I feel safe with, 
and he needs me--I can feel it!"
	"THAT is why you must remain aloof."  Mabatu sighed.  "There is 
more at stake here than you realize."
	"Are you saying he's bad?"
	"No, honey tree.  He's very good."
	"Then are you saying I'M bad?"
	"No, heavens, no, honey tree!  I'm so proud of you."
	"Then tell me why it's so important I leave him alone!  What would 
possibly be at stake?  Don't I have a right to know?"
	Mabatu settled to the grass beside his daughter.  "You must not 
breathe a word of this to Baba.  If it ever got out, there would be dire 
consequences from the gods themselves."
	"What are you trying to say?"
	Mabatu took in a deep breath, shuddered, and let it slowly out.  
"I know you love him, but you must not mate with your own brother."
	Umande gasped.  "My brother?  Him??  Oh my gods!"  She began to 
sob, and Mabatu put a paw across her shoulders, pulling her face into 
the softness of his mane and kissing her.  "Why didn't you tell me??"
	"It is a long and painful story.  Every time I tell it, a small 
part of me dies."
	"Then don't tell me."  She kissed her father and nuzzled him.
	"No, Mandy.  I think it's time you knew the truth about your 
mother.  I owe you that much."


CHAPTER:  THE BIRTH OF THE CUBS

	When Isha's time had come, she had three cubs.  Her son looked 
like the newborn Mabatu, and so she called him Habusu.  Maybe he would 
meet a good lioness who would love him the way she loved her Baba and be 
a prisoner to her love.  The daughters were named Minshasa and Jona 
after her favorite lionesses in  star lore.
	Rumors had circulated about the father of the cubs.  While it was 
still uncertain, most of the lionesses would have bet their whiskers 
that she had mated with Mabatu before his mantlement.  Some of her pride 
sisters filed by to see them, more out of curiosity than of joy.  They 
looked for familiar features in their face.  More than a couple stared 
at Habusu and commented on how familiar his face was.  Significantly, 
Kako did not even show up.  
	While Isha was not a social outcast, there was tension and a 
feeling of disapproval in the faces that filed past her.  They would 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.
	Yolanda said, "She will be a devoted mother.  She has SUCH a way 
with KIDS."
	Ajenti nuzzled her mother and laughed.  "Talk about robbing the 
litter!"
	Sarafina said in a quiet voice, "How did he get her in trouble?  I 
mean, I didn't think at his age they could...well, YOU know."
	"Carry through with it?" Ajenti said.  "When those things aren't 
on their mind, they wouldn't think of trying.  But when someone puts 
ideas in their head, you'd be surprised."
	Sarafina was shocked.  "Are you saying she led him on?"
	"I'm saying if those cubs were a reflection, Mabatu would be 
standing by the water hole.  That's all I'M saying."  Ajenti winked and 
walked away smugly.
	Just as Isha was ready to cry with shame, her friend Uzuri showed 
up.  Uzuri's love for Isha was absolute and unconditional and in her 
eyes, there could be no taint to spoil the beauty of her cubs.  Uzuri 
looked at each cub, sniffed them gently, and touched them with her 
tongue.  "This male looks like Mabatu when he was that age," she purred.  
Isha cringed, but she saw that there was no malice in her words.  "He's 
very handsome.  Sometimes I worry about Baba; where he is, what he's 
doing, and if he's missing you.  We must pray for him."
	Isha nuzzled her.  "I love you, Uzuri."
	"Why?  What did I do."
	"Nothing-and everything.  Just because you're you.  You're my 
truest friend in the world, and don't think I don't appreciate it, 
girl."  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."
	Later, 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 he always will be."
	"Then why did you let him go?"
	"I don't have to tell you, but I will."  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."  He 
sighed again.  "Everyone I love suffers for it.  Even my poor Lannie.  
Do you think I'm completely unaware?  I may have many faults, but 
stupidity is not one of them."
	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,"  Isha said, but she looked a little worried.  
"Please don't tell the hyenas just yet."
	"Why not?"
	"If their seer is so good, let her come tell you."
	He half laughed.  "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?"
	"Why Isha, you're a philosopher."
	"All mothers are philosophers."
	Only one week earlier, Beesa had become a philosopher.  
Fortunately, she only had one cub to worry about feeding, a daughter 
named Lisani.  Perhaps someday Lisani would grow to love Habusu.  
Perhaps Aiheu in his mercy will provide some future for them all.  
Perhaps....


CHAPTER:  NO ROOM IN THE INN

	Isha's cubs spent a few days blissfully unaware of prejudice.  But 
then Jona managed to waddle unsteadily to the mouth of her cave and look 
out.  It was a strange world that first met her wondering eyes, one with 
no roof or walls, and a bright yellow eye looking down on her.  And 
playing about were other small, furry creatures that looked just like 
her.  Cubs!
	Excitedly, she gamboled back with the news.  "There are other 
lions out there just like us!"
	When Isha's children were old enough to walk a straight line, they 
would leave the safety of the den and go out to meet those cubs.
	"Hi!" Minshasa said to one.  "I'm Minnie!"
	"I'm Piki!  Wanna play tag?"
	"Sure.  How does it work?"
	Piki's mother stepped forward.  "You're Isha's little girl, aren't 
you?"
	"Yes ma'am."
	"Well run along now.  It's time for Piki's bath."
	Piki looked up.  "But you just bathed me this morning!"
	"Well you're dirty again.  Don't sass your mother."
	While other cubs were free to make friends at will, there were 
strange problems for Isha's children as they sought to be accepted by 
the parents.  Without parental approval, those brief, tantalizing 
contacts with other cubs went nowhere.
	Usually, there was polite avoidance.  Outspoken Gobiso gave 
prejudice a name and face when he came out and said, "My mother told me 
I couldn't play with you.  Sorry."
	Isha's children ended up thinking all cubs pretty much stayed only 
with their mother.  They clung to this belief rather than believe there 
was something wrong with them.  Indeed, they looked and felt just like 
everyone else--they were just more lonely.  They played among each other 
and were an even more closely knit family than usual.  Habusu and Jona 
were an inseparable pair.  Minshasa was more withdrawn and would snuggle 
under her mother's chin.  Ironically, it was Minnie that was more like 
Isha as a cub.  For the first year of her life, Isha was painfully shy.  
That was a bond between them, and Isha would purr, touching Minnie with 
her paw and kissing her while Habu and Jona played.
	Beesa's daughter gave them a welcome respite from their isolation.  
Like Uzuri, Isha showed no favoritism when it came to cubs and treated 
her niece like one of her own.  "Miss Priss" was prim and proper, but 
she was also a lion cub and subject to lapses in both her dignity and 
her discipline.  Because Habusu was so polite and gentle, he and Miss 
Priss formed a partnership right away.  They were not only cousins but 
milk brother and sister.  When Uzuri came to visit, she showered Habusu 
with affection and care, sure that someday he would pledge to Lisani and 
raise a family.  "Look at them," Uzuri would say.  "Don't they make a 
cute couple?"
	While Habusu's sisters played together, Habusu would follow Lisani 
around like a puppy.  Even Taka noticed this, and he pronounced his 
blessings on the relationship, a step that Habu did not understand at 
the moment, but one that made Lisani his betrothed.
	But eventually Habusu wanted another male to play with.  It was 
only a natural part of growing up.  Uzuri's twin sons Togo and Kombi 
heard no dark rumors about Isha and Mabatu from their mother.  Uzuri 
could never see anything in Isha but beauty, though she was aware of her 
`playful' tendencies.  That didn't matter anymore, for to Uzuri alone 
Isha revealed that she was saving herself for her young husband.  Uzuri 
understood--she always understood like no one else.
	Despite their occasional difficulties, Isha's family was a happy 
one, and it seemed with Habusu's future secured that the happiness would 
go on forever.  Then when Isha's children were two moons old, Minshasa, 
who was always a frail and delicate creature, came down with Dol Sani.  
In most cases, it is a rite of passage.  For the undernourished cub, it 
was a major blow.  Helplessly, Isha watched her decline day by day, 
huddling desperately against her mother as if Isha could protect her 
against the invisible enemy that was hurting her.  Isha would stroke her 
with her paw and tell her that everything would be all right, and for a 
while her story fooled the child, and Isha almost believed it herself.  
Then one week into her illness, Minshasa died in her sleep.  Indeed, the 
pain went away.
	The death of Minshasa was a wake up call to Isha's pride sisters.  
Little by little they came to see the unmistakable beauty in her sad 
countenance.  It was a beauty that came from within and brought shame to 
those who gossiped behind her back.  Then one moon later with terrible 
suddenness, pneumonia snatched Jona from her.  The same ones who 
gossiped once would whisper about the noble and beautiful sadness that 
made her already pleasant features almost godlike.  Indeed, she had 
taken on the awful beauty of Kako, her best friend.  In those days, Kako 
stayed by her side constantly, helping her keep her sanity.  It was a 
kindness that would prove important in the future.
	Isha clung desperately to Habusu.  Every night as she prayed for 
Habu's safety, she would say, "If you must take one of us, take me.  But 
spare my son."  Indeed, Isha was not only perceived as a more noble 
creature by the Pride Sisters, she became more noble.  Seeing her roll 
over in prayer was not that uncommon, and everyone nodded and said she 
could use all the prayer she could get.


CHAPTER:  HABUSU

	Finally, Habusu became weak in turn.  Isha was going mad with 
worry, and Taka paced about like something possessed.  "The curse!  The 
curse!" he would murmur.  "Will nothing stop it??"
	Isha was heartened when Kako and some of her friends smuggled 
herbs from Rafiki to build Habu's blood and heal his infection.  Even 
Taka, who did not often pray, would come over and let the child stroke 
his mane in the belief that a King's mane might have some healing 
powers.  He would pray to Aiheu, and even breathe a quick whisper to 
Roh'kash just to be sure.  Then day by day Habusu grew stronger.  For 
one of the short times in Taka's adulthood, he believed that there was a 
God after all.  And from that time forward, he would always say "Aiheu 
provides" before eating.
	From the time he was very young, Habu had been told that his 
father loved him very much, though he had never seen him.  And though 
that sounded strange to most people, Habu did not doubt it for a moment 
because his mother would never lie to him.
	Though Isha did not lie, the truth she withheld from him would 
fill volumes.  Habu knew about his father only in broad general terms--
that he was brave, handsome, gentle, and loved them both very much.  But 
Habu thirsted to know more.  And one day when Togo and Kombi were 
telling him about things that happened before he was born, he decided to 
ask if they knew his father.  It was a dreadful mistake.
	Kombi, without malice, simply tried to answer his friend's 
heartfelt question with a truthful answer.  "Mabatu was one of the older 
cubs," he said.  I heard Ajenti telling Sarafina that he scored with 
your Mom before his mantlement, and Scar kicked him out but wouldn't 
tell anyone why.  Maybe he saw them--I don't know.  You mean she didn't 
tell you?"
	"No."  Habu trembled.  "What do you mean by `scored?'"
	"You know.  Getting down.  Heavy breathing.  The wild thing."
	Habu gasped.  Tears started down his cheeks and he let his breath 
out in a great wail.  "Mommmm!"
	"Hey, Habu!  I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," Kombi said, 
genuinely distressed.  "That's where babies come from.  It's just your 
Dad wasn't old enough, and you get busted for that around here."
	Sobbing, Habu bolted for home.  He huddled against his mother's 
soft, warm body and cried.  "Tell me it's not true about Daddy!"
	Isha regarded him with her heart crumbling and kissed him gently 
and repeatedly until he settled down.  "Let me tell you about your 
father."
	Isha explained to him in gentle terms about the lifelong love 
Mabatu had for her, about the time Taka suddenly determined he must 
leave the Pride, and about the bittersweet night before his mantlement.  
"I loved your father and I pledged to him.  He had to go away for 
reasons only Taka understood, but he said he would come back for us 
someday.  Then he will love you as I have loved you, and we will be a 
family again.  I promise."  She was uncertain if Mabatu was alive or 
dead, but she did not share this with Habusu.
	The question preyed on her mind more than ever.  She had to settle 
her heart one way or the other, so late that night when Habu was 
peacefully asleep, she went to see Makhpil.
	The hyeness was not surprised to see Isha coming.  Few things 
surprised a medium of her quality.
	"Please be truthful with me.  Please."  Isha stroked Makhpil's 
foreleg with a paw, a desperate gesture of pleading that a hyena would 
understand all too well.  "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 said.
	Makhpil looked into Isha's eyes. "Yes, there is truth in you.  
Goodness that I did not expect to see.  Your friendship honors me."
	"I have a problem," Isha said.  "It's driving me crazy.  I have to 
know if...."
	"Hsssh!" Makhpil said.  "Silence, my girl.  Silence!"  She closed 
her eyes and drew back her ears.  From her parted lips came an eerie 
high-pitched whine.  It sounded painful, but she didn't seem to be in 
distress.
	"You are worried about your husband."
	Isha started.  "Yes!"
	"Hsssh!  It comes to me.  Yes, your husband is alive.  But how he 
fares, I do not know.  The spirits are unclear."
	Makhpil's eyes flew open with a wild stare and she shook as if to 
rid her coat of water.
	"Are you OK?" Isha asked.
	"Of course.  Glad I could help."
	"Please tell no one what you have seen.  Tell no one of Habu's 
father, not even Shenzi or Taka."
	The hyeness looked in her eyes.  "You fear Taka.  You fear us 
too."  She looked away.  "I don't blame you.  I'm scared all the time.  
Shenzi has spies everywhere watching us."
	"You too?"
	"Yes.  They need me, but my powers frighten them, so I've taken to 
sleeping lightly when I sleep at all."  Makhpil touched Isha's cheek 
with her paw.  "Roh'kash gave me strong teeth, sharp ears and quick 
feet.  I have no need for lies and tricks.  Your secrets are buried 
deep."
	"Bless you, and bless the news you bring."  Isha fondled Makhpil 
and kissed her.  "I live again.  Perhaps he will come back to me.  
Perhaps he will claim what is his."
	"Perhaps he will, koh'met."  She nuzzled the lioness tenderly.  
"Never underestimate the power of love."


CHAPTER: THE HOMECOMING

	Habu was trapped in a small fissure in the side of Pride Rock.  
He'd gotten separated from his mother during the heat of The Great 
Battle, and fled shrieking from a hyena into the first place he could 
hide.  It was barely adequate at best.  If he'd ever had reason to fear 
hyenas before, he had an even better one.
	The guard that was after him reached in with a paw trying to pull 
Habu's small body into his deadly jaws.  The cub huddled back as far as 
he could and watched as the paw swiped slightly closer each time as the 
hyena wedged himself more tightly into the crack.  It was only a matter 
of time until the claws found flesh and began to tear gashes and finally 
manage a grip.  In mad desperation, Habu timed his next move, snapped at 
the flailing paw, and held on to it.
	With a shriek of pain, the hyena gave his paw a mighty yank 
backward.  Habu's canines and shearing teeth had set deeply, and they 
gouged long parallel gashes into its flesh.  Screaming, the hyena turned 
about in tight circles, holding his paw up.  "Krekh toh!  Krekh toh, you 
dirty little bormarkh!  I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do!"
	Suddenly, a tawny streak passed by and with another shriek, the 
wounded hyena was raked brutally across the abdomen.  He collapsed at 
once into a pool of his own blood and humors, writhing in his death 
struggles.
	Habu cowered in the back of the cave, his eyes squeezed shut.  He 
tried to drown out the awful moans of the hyena, putting his head down 
and clamping his paws tightly over his head.
	"Roh'kash!  Roh'kash ne nabu!  Roh'kash ne nabu!"
	Habu could smell smoke.  At first he thought it was the scent of a 
dying hyena, for he had never experienced fire, but as the smell grew in 
its acrid intensity, he felt he must take another look outside.
	What he saw was incredible.  The hyenas were being driven off!  
They were running away!  He looked about and saw flames consuming the 
dry grass.  The whole world was on fire!  He did not understand the red 
plague, but some distant ancestral memory told him to avoid it.
	He glanced down at the hyena.  The eyes turned to look back at 
him.  Though Habu was still frightened, he understood that he was in no 
immediate danger.  He stepped around the blood-spattered body as the 
eyes followed him, and trotted off to find his mother.  Amarakh still 
lay twisted in the knot of her final death spasm.  He had liked Amarakh, 
but he was frightened and could not bring himself to touch her lacerated 
body.
	"Momma!  Momma!"
	He ran down the steep switchbacks of the trail leading to the 
ground.  There at the base of Pride Rock, he stopped for a moment to 
look at his friend Taka who lay with a gaping wound on his abdomen.  He 
trembled and headed to the sad lion that had stared at him balefully.  
Taka had been his friend, and he shoved him with a paw.  "Are you OK?  
Taka?"  He walked about, but the eyes did not follow him or blink.  
"You're dead, aren't you?"  It was a foolish question.  "Poor Taka."  He 
reached out and gently stroked his mane.  "I guess you're gone to see 
Jona."
	It was his first time to see a dead lion.  Sad and confused, he 
wandered off to find someone--anyone--that could tell him where Isha 
was.  He prayed that she was not with Jona too.
	It began to rain.  The pelting drops from the sky were a new 
experience for him, and he watched as the ash on the ground began to run 
in gray rivulets across the parched earth before being absorbed.
	"Habu??"
	Habusu's heart almost went into his mouth.  "Mom??"
	Isha came running across the scorched earth.  "Oh thank gods!!"  
She fell to her side and with a quick swipe of her paw, pulled his 
squirming, happy body to her heart and kissed him repeatedly.  "My 
little boy!  Oh gods, I was going crazy with worry!  Don't EVER run off 
like that again!"
	Miss Priss rubbed against his mud-spattered body.  "Habu!"  She 
was usually very affectionate to him, but this time she spared no degree 
of effort, kissing him and pawing his face until his heart swam.
	A large male lion with a wet but still impressive russet mane 
strode toward Pride Rock past them.  
	"Who's that, Mom?"
	"That's Simba!  He's the true king!  Wave at him!"
	Habusu rose, covered with ash and mud, and waved his paw.  Simba 
turned and nodded at him.
	"Did you see that, Mom??  He winked at me!"
	"He sure did, honey tree!"
	The old mandrill Rafiki stood at the base of the promontory and 
hopped impatiently as the lion ascended the trail leading up Pride Rock.  
He glanced at Taka, shook his head, then spoke with the mandrill.
	"What's going to happen?" Habu asked.
	"He's going to climb the rock and roar for us.  Then he'll be king 
of the Pride Lands."
	"Is he going to do it now?"
	"Soon.  Just watch."
	Trembling with emotion, Isha drew Habu to her side and watched 
through the rain as Mufasa's son ascended the granite promontory.  The 
hyenas were gone, and hope for the future made her heart swell and 
filled her eyes with tears.
	"Gods forgive me," Isha said, "but I never thought I would live to 
see this day.  Look, Habu!  There is your king!"  
	Habu watched the lion come to the end of the promontory.  He had 
never known Mufasa, but he heard so many wonderful things about him that 
he thrilled to see his son come home and take his place as king.  The 
infectious joy and hope affected him deeply, and he nearly danced with 
an excitement that seemed to fall in the rain, blow in the winds and 
bubble up from inside all at once.
	Simba looked down at his faithful pride.  Habu nudged his Mom.  
"Look, he's looking at us!"
	"Shhh, Honey Tree!  Watch!  You'll want to tell your grandkids 
about this."
	Silhouetted against the sky, Simba looked up expectantly.  As if 
to answer him, a rift opened in the clouds and he saw the stars.  
Drawing in a deep breath, he sounded a thunderous roar.
	Isha and the other lionesses poured out their soul, their sounds 
echoing and blending in a joyous song of triumph.


CHAPTER:  THE CRISIS

	When good news is too good to be true, it's sure to be followed by 
something bad.  Simba's return to the Pride Lands offered hope to the 
despondent and strength to the weary.  But Isha found her rejoicing cut 
short when realized her most precious possession was missing--Habu was 
nowhere to be found.
	Simba and Nala were just waking up after their first night home.  
Before they could go for a morning drink at the cistern, Isha bounded 
into their cave, wild-eyed.  "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 me!"
	"Calm down, Isha."  Nala touched her with her tongue.  "Think now, 
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 slinked in morosely.  "I can't find him, Isha.  I don't know 
where he went, but I found out why."  She frowned at her twins who tried 
to look small and inconspicuous.  "It seems Togo and Kombi were playing 
a little...rough."  She patted Isha 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."  She buried her face into Uzuri's 
shoulder and sobbed.  "My son!  My little son!"
	Simba glanced at Nala.  "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."
	Simba worked his way quickly down the rock, then ran unbroken 
toward Rafiki's acacia.  Isha had taken several bites meant for him 
during The Great Battle, and he felt suitably grateful.  "Aiheu, help 
us!  Isha deserves better than this."  By the large trunk of the tree he 
stopped breathless, looking up into the branches.  "Rafiki!  Rafiki??  
Are you awake??"
	"Indeed I am.  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 started.  "Aiheu forbid--I will try."
	Back at Pride Rock, Isha was going crazy with worry.  Nala was 
stroking her with a paw, nuzzling her.  "We will find him, Auntie Isha.  
I promise."
	"How can you promise something like that?"  Isha trembled.  "You 
can't!  What if he's dead already??  What if he's fallen into a 
sinkhole??  Maybe he's calling for me!"
	"Easy, girl!  Easy!  Don't think such things!"
	Simba came running back to the cave with a frantic looking Rafiki 
on his back clinging to his mane.
	Isha stepped out of the cave, looking hopeful, but her face fell 
when she saw no sign of her cub.
	"Isha, my poor dear," Rafiki said, running up and hugging her 
neck.  "Do not fret.  We will find your child."  He quickly set up his 
scrying bowl and filled it with water from a gourd he carried.  "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, then studied 
the pattern of ripples in the water.  "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."  But all too soon, he 
would have a good idea.
	"Hey, your Majesty!" called a hyena voice.  "I would most HUMBLY 
request an audience with you."
	"I know that voice," Simba said.  A distant but horrible memory 
came back to him.  "Oh gods, no!  Shenzi!"


CHAPTER:  HOLDING OUT HOPE

	Shenzi had offered to help look for the child, but her veiled 
threats were all too clearly read, and they proved to be more than just 
a trick to gain influence with Simba.  After a long and frustrating day 
of searching, Yolanda and Sarafina came and bowed breathless before 
Simba to make a startling report.  
	"We found Habu."
	"Where is he?" Isha gasped.  Her stomach knotted.  "Oh God, tell 
me he's not dead!"
	"He is alive, Isha.  Aiheu forgive me for saying so, but it might 
be better for him if he had died.  The hyenas have him."
	After a moment of pain and anger, Simba roared loudly and said, 
"Come, Isha. Let's go get your son."
	Every able body was called into the rescue operation.  Only the 
cubs were left behind.  Uzuri took charge of the team for all prey was 
one to her, and she took this particular hunt to heart.  There could be 
no sudden rush, for it is likely the prey would not flee.  It required 
something more subtle than a dash for gazelles, and she was willing to 
do whatever it took to ensure the safety of her pride sisters as well as 
that of Habusu.  In the back of her mind, however, she remembered Ber, 
Makhpil, and several others whom she could see no evil in.  She prayed 
they would be safe as well, and maybe that they would help her.
	Quickly and silently, the ghosts of Pride Rock slinked through the 
grass as silently as a gentle wind, but they were a mighty thunderstorm 
ready to strike the enemy with lightning.
	The guards posed little problem.  The quiet approach caught a 
couple of cowardly hyenas by surprise, and within moments they were 
driven off into the uncertain night.
	Uhuru, the Roh'mach, was making his nightly rounds before he 
slept.  He saw the stealthy approach of the lions, and it surprised him 
that they came unannounced.  "I'm going to have a word with Griz'nik," 
he grumbled as he headed to meet them.
	"Sire!  What an honor!"  He bowed.  "No news on your missing 
child, I'm afraid." 
	Simba ran to him and snarled viscously.  "What in God's name do 
you think you're doing with our cub?  Did you think we wouldn't find 
out??"
	Uhuru quailed and shrank back.  "Sire??  I don't understand!"
	Isha stared into his eyes.  "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?"
	Sitting above them on a ledge, Shenzi laughed.
	Simba glared up at Shenzi.  "Are you responsible for this?"
	"And what if I am, cubby?  What are you going to do about it?  
Touch me and your little babykins is going to be tonight's dinner."
	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?"
	"Why, dearie, I thought you'd never ask.  I'd be delighted to 
volunteer."
	"I'm sure you would!"  Simba roared loudly.  "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 asked.  He confronted 
Shenzi, shouting, "Let's end this here and now.  I call on the gods to 
witness our Shih'kal.  I challenge you to fight 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 was a loyalist and 
hated Shenzi.  She scrabbled up to the ledge and drew close to her 
enemy, speaking through the clenched teeth of her rage.  "Accept the 
challenge, or forfeit forever 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 shoved past Azuba and stood before Uhuru, spitting at 
his feet.  "Fool.  You would have lost your title.  Now you lose your 
life."
	"Really?"  His eyes bored into hers intently.  "We shall see."


CHAPTER:  MATCH POINT

	Shenzi began circling Uhuru slowly, sizing him up.  He was 
smaller, but he was very quick and agile.
	Fighting to remember all his mother had taught him about combat, 
Uhuru kept his head low to the ground, trying to give her the smallest 
target possible.
	"Kill her!" Azuba shouted.  "See if her Roh'kash comes to her aid!  
I think not!"
	Suddenly Shenzi lunged, jaw snapping and claws swinging for 
purchase in his living flesh.  Most of the lions watched spellbound as 
the battle raged on, but all Isha could think of was her son.  She began 
looking about frantically calling, "Habu!  It's Mommy!  Answer me, Habu!  
Oh gods, answer me!"
	Hyenas began to gather, watching the two combatants.  Ber shouted, 
"Bite her once for me!  Make a guard out of me, will she!"  Hopping mad, 
Ber shoved through to take a position where he could see well.  "Come 
on, boy!  I'm praying for you!"
	Shenzi managed to get in a blow, raking Uhuru's shoulder and 
bringing blood.  A couple of adolescent females began to chant, "Shenzi, 
Shenzi, rule forever!"  Ber snarled at them viscously and they hushed 
up.
	Isha frantically went from one hyena to another.  "Please help me!  
Please!  Have you seen my son?  I'll do anything, just tell me where he 
is!"
	Most of them denied any knowledge.  Some of them truly did not 
know, and many others were afraid.  But a few were obviously Shenzists 
and they took great pleasure in her discomfort.  Isha wished she could 
tell who those were and kill them one by one.  At last she came to 
Makhpil, who pawed her gently, fell to the ground and tried desperately 
to concentrate.  All the noise and the confusing Babel of thoughts 
conspired to drown out her inner voice, and she whined in frustration.  
"Honey Tree, I'm trying but I can't hear myself think!"
	"Quiet!!" Isha roared.  "Quiet down all of you if you want to 
live!!"
	Makhpil rolled on her back, pressing her paws against her face.  
All the aggression and excitement flowing through her from all sides was 
dizzying and she could make little sense out of it.
	The battle seemed to take forever as two combatants struggled to 
stave off death.  There could be no other conclusion.  Uhuru was getting 
the advantage, however, and it seemed likely to all the witnesses, lion 
and hyena, that Shenzi would lose.
	Shenzi began to gasp.  Her body was riddled with wounds.  Jackals 
had gathered to watch, ready to claim their share of the action.  If the 
enemy is respected, they would get a body snuffed with a merciful neck 
bite.  If the enemy was held in contempt, they would get a miserable, 
pleading victim that would shriek as its flesh was ripped away.  Either 
way, they would be well fed.
	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.   
He bared his teeth, but paused a moment to think.  Should he make it 
quick?  Shenzi looked at him pleadingly.  "Please show respect.  Kill me 
quickly."  She closed her eyes and began to pray.
	Skulk came in, doing his best to look grief stricken.  "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 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."
	Isha shrieked.  She hurried forward and scented the tuft of fur, 
then rolled on her back in agony.  "Oh gods!" she sobbed.  "They killed 
my baby!  My son, my son!"  She took the small furball in her paw and 
held it against her chest sobbing.  "Why??  Why did you want to hurt 
him??  He was an innocent little boy!  Why??"
	Makhpil fell moaning by her side and lay across her trembling 
body, kissing her and stroking her with a paw.  "My koh'met!  My poor 
little koh'met!  You can be my mother.  I will find the guilty ones and 
bring you their hearts!  You will grow fat on their hearts!"
	Kako wailed and Uzuri leaned against her.  "So close!" Uzuri 
sobbed.  "We were so close!  Uhuru, don't finish it!  Leave her to the 
jackals--I want to hear her scream, and every time she does, I'll 
laugh!"  She looked at the jackals and cried loudly, "Don't rush it!  I 
promise you a gazelle if you do a good job!"
	The jackals nodded greedily.  "Leave it to us!"
	Uhuru looked at the fur disbelievingly.  "You mean..."
	Skulk nodded sadly.  "I'm afraid so.  I'm afraid that once the 
combat is complete, you will have to be executed, milord.  You did swear 
with your life to redeem the cub."
	Shenzi glared at him, a smile on her face.  "I didn't think you 
had it in you!"
	"Slow and painful!" cried the jackals.  "Leave it to us!  Leave it 
to us!"  They began to edge closer, their eyes glowing red with 
anticipation.  "We eat well tonight!"
	Suddenly, a small cub gamboled past.  "Hey, Shenzi!  Hey, Uhuru!"
	"Shut up, Habu," she snarled.  Freezing, she did a double take.  
"Habu?!!"
	Habusu ran to his mother who wept and rolled on her back, hugging 
him to her warm stomach and kissing him.  "Oh, I could eat you up!" she 
stammered, and kissed him repeatedly, uttering little cries of joy and 
rubbing his small golden body.  Makhpil wept with joy, kissing the cub.  
One of Isha's large paws caught her and drew her near.  What Taka and 
Shenzi could not achieve through force, Uhuru and Makhpil accomplished 
through love.  The dark days were over and all was set to rights under 
Uhuru's watchful eye.


CHAPTER:  PARTING OF THE WAYS

	Sarafina was settling down for her nap.  Uzuri and Isha were 
together, as they tended to be, asleep side by side.  Life was returning 
to normal, and they did not have to spend hours every day on the hunt 
anymore.  Life was good.
	When Zazu flew excitedly overhead shouting, "Great news!" Sarafina 
glanced up for a moment and muttered, "That's nice."  She snuggled into 
Kako's side and drew in a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh.
	Under the warmth of the sun, the world moved at a slower pace.  No 
one was expected to do anything important at high-sun, and it was an 
unspoken rule of leonine society that you let sleeping bodies lie.  With 
one exception, of course, and that was an emergency.
	Simba roared.  Sarafina's eyes popped open abruptly.  "What the 
devil??"
	"Pride meeting!  Come to me!"
	Sarafina half closed her eyes.  "This had better be good."
	"It's happening!" Simba said, standing over her.
	"What's happening??" Sarafina asked
	"You'll see!"
	Something about the infectious excitement in his voice made 
Sarafina's heart light.  She lost her scowl and followed him eager to 
see what the mystery was about.
	Isha came over and Simba nuzzled her warmly.  "Isha, I want you, 
Habusu 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 kissed her.  "I'll give you two guesses."
	Isha's face beamed with joy.  She nuzzled him back, tears in her 
eyes.  "Bless you.  Bless you!"
	"Now now, you don't want to smell like another lion when your 
husband comes!"  He smiled slyly.  "I don't think he's going to want to 
share you with me."
	When the Pride had assembled on the eastern meadow, the lionesses 
began to speculate on what was happening.  Some said Simba planned a 
special mantlement for Habusu.  Others thought Rafiki had found a reason 
for Habusu to be adopted or stay as Prince Consort.  "What's wrong?" 
some of them asked.  "Couldn't he produce a strong heir?"  But others 
said, "I don't think he'd look so happy if there was something wrong 
with him."
	Several minutes passed, but it felt more like an eternity.  Simba 
waited patiently, 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.  Sarafina 
began to wish she had stayed on her rock and napped.
	Then Zazu shouted.  "Here he is!"
	Several of the lionesses took in a gasp when a large, shapely lion 
came out of the trees.  "Isn't he handsome!" one of the lionesses 
whispered.
	"What a catch!" another one answered.
	The stranger looked at Kako and quietly said, "Mother."
	Kako stared for a moment, her heart full to bursting, then she 
sprang to her feet and rushed to him, putting her arm over his shoulder 
and nuzzling him.  "My son, my son!"
	Sarafina started.  "Mabatu??"
	The stranger nodded, and a wave of shocked delight spread through 
the pride.  They all remembered the adolescent that skulked away with 
ears and tail drooping.  This was a lion.
	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."  Simba nodded to Mabatu and fought to keep a straight 
face as the other lion rose.  "And what brings you to my kingdom?"  He 
half laughed and winked.
	Baba glanced over at the row of lionesses that flanked Simba on 
one side.  "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!"
	Sarafina cried, "Big boy, you're in for some loving tonight!"
	"I'm the real Isha!" Ajenti yelled.  "She's an impostor!  Take me, 
take me!"
	"Enough of this," Simba said.  "Can't you see they have unfinished 
business?"
	"Can we watch?" Sarafina said.
	"Shame on you, Fini."  Simba chuckled.  "Remember, you're the 
queen's mother."
	Mabatu greeted Isha warmly, but he clearly had some unfinished 
business.  He went to the adolescent lion that bore a certain 
resemblance to the one that was driven out long ago.  A smile spread 
across his face, and Habu brightened.  "Dad?"
	"So this is Habusu."  Mabatu's jaw trembled, his eyes brightening 
as he lifted a paw to touch the face of the youth before him.  "My 
son...."  He looked around.  "He is my son, and the one true heir."  He 
nuzzled Habu gently 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 Isha.
	"And who is this?  My daughter?"
	"Lisani, but we call her Miss Priss.  She is Beesa's daughter--my 
sister died some time ago."  Isha looked at her compassionately.  "What 
do you want to do, Miss Priss?"
	"Auntie Isha, you're my family.  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...."  
She glanced at Isha.  "....and my daughter."
	Thus the visitor from the east went back the way she came.  Many 
of the lionesses watched Isha's departure wistfully, especially Uzuri.  
"There go some of my best friends," she said.
	"Don't you think of leaving too," Simba said, nuzzling her.  "We 
love you, Zuri."
	"Oh, you can't get rid of me that easily," she said, kissing his 
cheek.


CHAPTER:  HOME AT LAST

	Mabatu grunted softly as he shifted position, trying to ease the 
ache on his flanks where Umande lay, her head pillowed comfortably in 
the curve of his haunch.  Mabatu loved his daughter dearly, and enjoyed 
the moments they spent together more and more--of late she had spent 
more time with her young friends, leaving the old lion feeling very 
alone since Baba had left.  With a smile he reached back and caressed 
her cheek, drawing a sleepy smile and a purr of contentment.  She was 
his daughter, and would make some lion a fine mate one day....
	....But right now, she was putting his leg to sleep.
	He laid back and tried to relax.  A botfly settled on his side, 
seeking blood.  He flicked his tail, but it only disturbed the insect 
which fluttered a bit and settled right back.  Another try met with the 
same result, and he began to wonder if the thing was going to explode 
before it quit feeding.
	Without opening her eyes, Umande reached up with a paw and swatted 
his side firmly, splashing his fur with a crimson stain.
	Mabatu eyed it with distaste.  "Messy."
	"But effective, and SO satisfying."  She opened an amber eye and 
smiled.
	"For you, maybe."  He rubbed his sore ribs gently.
	"Poor old lion!  Aren't you glad I'm here to take care of you?"  
She giggled and stood, moving forward to nuzzle his cheek.
	"Absolutely.  I feel better already, now that the blood can get to 
my leg again."  He chuckled softly.
	"Dad!"
	His smile fell as a deep roar cut the air.  "This land is mine!  
Mine!"
	Mabatu's ears pricked up and he answered with a roar of his own.  
"Who land is this??  This land is MINE!"  He struggled to an upright 
position despite his tingling leg.  Cursing his aging body, he staggered 
forward and roared back, "This land is MINE!"
	The challenger's voice was much nearer.  "Then all is still as 
Aiheu wills it, then."  The grass parted to reveal Baba's smiling face.  
"Hello, Father!"
	"Baba!  Welcome home!"  Mabatu breathed a relieved sigh and 
trotted to greet his son, nuzzling the fragrant softness of his mane.  
"I'm so glad to see you!"
	"I'm back, and I have the family!"
	A lioness emerged from the grass.  Baba's face beamed with pride 
as he nuzzled her and looked back at his father.
	"This must be Isha!"
	"Yes, Dad.  My wife and the mother of my son!"
	The lioness rubbed against the King and kissed him.  "You have 
cared for my husband.  I owe you more than I could ever repay."
	"My son has chosen well, I see.  You are even more beautiful than 
he said you were.  Darling daughter, I welcome you with a full heart."
	Isha smiled at him.  "Baba's told me a lot about you."
	"Only the good parts, I hope?"
	She laughed.  "Are there any bad ones?"  Isha cocked her head and 
grunted softly at the grass behind her.  "Come on, kids."
	Two gangly adolescents emerged, one an attractive female, the 
other a young male with the first hints of a mane showing on the nape of 
his neck.  "Sire, this is Lisani, my niece, and Habusu, our son."
	Mabatu craned his great head down and nosed Habu gently, his eyes 
shining.  "You never told me you had a son, Baba."  He grinned and 
wrapped a paw around the young cub, pulling him close.  Habusu smiled up 
at the friendly embrace and nuzzled the old lion.
	"I didn't know myself until I went back."  Baba looked at his son 
proudly.  "Look how big he's grown--I can't believe it!"  He glanced 
back and motioned with a paw, then turned, smiling, to his father.  
"There's someone else I want you to see.  You said you knew my mother 
once, and here she is!"
	Mabatu nodded and sat quietly, waiting as the last newcomer pushed 
her way out of the grasses and stood before him.  His eyes locked on her 
lithe, graceful form, and his breath caught, his heart speeding up in 
his chest until he thought it might burst.
	The King swallowed and nodded once.  "Kako."
	She made her way forward slowly and tensely.  Drawing close to 
Mabatu, she saw the way his eyes regarded her and how his chin trembled.  
"I touch your mane."  She reached out and slowly, sensuously traced the 
curve of his cheek and throat with her paw.  Then she drew close and 
kissed his face.  "Oh gods," she whispered.  "He didn't tell me it was 
you."
	Her breath in his ear made him shudder.  "Steady, old girl.  Keep 
your composure."  He nuzzled her quickly and straightened up.  "Note 
well, all of you.  This is Kako, mother of the Prince.  She will be 
living with us from now on."
	Baba nosed Isha softly.  "Come, let me show you our home.  Come 
on, kids!"
	Habusu and Lisani trotted off behind them, leaving Kako and the 
King behind.  Several of the pride lionesses made their way over and 
fell before Kako's feet.  Shenannii touched her with her tongue.  "My 
sister!  God has sent you back to us!"
	"Yes, Nani!  Oh, I've missed you so much!"  Kako rubbed her old 
hunt mistress's cheek warmly.  "I wondered if you were still as good at 
chasing gerenuk as you used to be."
	"Yes, and still quicker than you are, just like I was then."  
Shenannii's jaw quivered and she lowered her head.  "Welcome home, My 
Lady."
	Kako shuddered.  "No!  Never call me that.  Please!"
	"But why?"
	"For ALL our sakes.  Please address me by name only.  At least in 
front of Baba and his family."  She straightened and looked away.  "You 
know the rules.  I'm just a Pride Sister now, nothing more."
	Shenannii bit her lip and nodded.  "As you wish, Pride Sister.  
But you know how I feel inside.  Gods, I love you, Sis!"  Shenannii 
rubbed heads with her and pawed her shoulder and throat.  "When the 
children are around, that's one thing."  She bowed her head to the 
ground.  "When we're alone, that's different.  Bless me, my Queen."
	Kako touched her forehead with a paw and said, "Aiheu abamami," 
then kissed her.  The other lionesses lined up for a blessing, each one 
bending low before her with love and joy as she touched them and kissed 
them softly.  "It's good to be home."


CHAPTER:  ALONE AT LAST

	Isha was amused at all the new attention she received as wife of 
the prince.  It was sweet revenge for all the humiliation she had 
suffered when her cubs were born.  Still she turned away the respectful 
titles thrust on her, insisting with a disarming laugh that she was not 
a "Mistress Isha" or a "My Lady."  With a casual nod, she would say, 
"I'm just plain old Isha."
	Her husband smiled.  "Plain old Isha, eh?"
	She padded over and flopped down next to him.  "And what's wrong 
with plain old Isha?"
	"Oh, nothing!  It fits you, actually..."  He rolled over and 
absorbed himself in watching the stars overhead, hiding a sly smile 
behind a paw.
	She shoved him in the ribs.  "It fits me?"
	He nodded.  "Dependable, predictable."
	Her eyes narrowed.  "Is that a challenge, big boy?"
	He chuckled.  "So is that the constellation of N'ga and Sufa, or 
Mano and Minshasa?"
	Isha rolled over and put her paws on his chest, pinning him to the 
ground.  "Who cares!  Are you going to just watch the stars or soar to 
them?"  She rubbed her face against his and kissed him.
"Isha!" he stammered.  He pawed her face, running his pads softly 
over her mouth.  She parted her lips and softly mouthed his paw, then 
lay her face against his chest, listening to his pounding heart, 
nuzzling his mane and drinking in his masculine fragrance.
	Mabatu wrapped his arms about her and grunted with pleasure.  "I 
forgot how good you felt next to me.  I've missed you so much--every 
day, every minute, every second.  On the long lonely nights I would 
dream about the soft curves of your beautiful golden body...."  He 
looked at her apprehensively.  "Nip me--am I asleep?"
	She opened her jaws and gently embraced his throat, drawing her 
soft pink tongue along his throbbing pulse.  Kneading his chest and face 
with her gentle paws, she purred, "There.  Are you awake now, honey 
tree?"
	"What a nip!" he said, trembling.  "I want you, Isha!  I've waited 
for you so long!  So VERY long!  I want to make love to you!"
	Her purring took on a deeper rumble.  She rose and with sensual 
grace slinked alluringly into the tall grass, glancing backward over her 
shapely shoulder.  "Follow me."


CHAPTER:  DO IT FOR ME

	For the next few weeks Kako and Isha traveled over the hunting 
grounds with Shenannii.  Isha, who had much to learn, paid careful 
attention and thoroughly enjoyed the outings.  Kako had to maintain 
appearances for Isha's sake, but everything she saw brought back old 
memories from happier times.  It was a bittersweet experience for her, 
and she walked quietly, speaking only when spoken to.  
	Even Baba noticed that something was wrong, and he fretted over 
his mother's discomfort, blaming himself for his poor judgment in 
bringing her along.   He just assumed she would want to leave the family 
she'd grown to love in the Pride Lands and settle down happily.  He took 
careful note of the polite but reserved conversation when she was 
around, aware that some great secret was been being hidden, but he had 
no idea what it could be.  It had never occurred to him to ask Mabatu 
just what debt he owed Kako, or why the lionesses all came and kissed 
her when she arrived.  Baba felt that he should speak frankly with her.  
	When the restlessness of Kako's season gripped her and she did not 
gravitate toward Mabatu the way he'd hoped, Baba decided to intervene.  
He began dropping hints about how handsome and regal the king looked 
perched atop the rocks, and how good it would be for him to chose a new 
mate.
	Kako would nod, but she would never react the way Baba expected.  
His efforts at matchmaking were thwarted one by one, and he began to 
wonder how someone so unresponsive EVER had cubs.  Finally, he took her 
aside one evening as the sun was setting.   "Mother?  Can I talk to you 
openly?"
	"Certainly!  Any time you're worried, or you just want to talk, 
I'm here for you."  She padded over and nuzzled him warmly.  "What's 
wrong?  Is it you and Isha?"
	"No, nothing like that.  I was wondering if you could do me a 
little favor."
	"Of course, Baba.  What is it?"
	"King Mabatu's been really depressed lately."  Mabatu fidgeted 
uncomfortably as his mother's hazel eyes regarded him closely.
	"And?"
	Mabatu scrubbed the ground with a paw uncomfortably.  "Well, 
there's no other way to say it but to say it.  Mom, he's struck on you.  
Here you are in the middle of--you know--and he's going crazy every time 
he sees you.  I can tell.  Even though you loved Dad, don't you think 
you could give him half a chance?"
	She looked scandalized.  "Baba, what EVER made you think of 
this??"
	"He's wanted to ask you out for a long time.  This morning he 
asked me if I could put in the good word for him.  He's painfully shy, 
you know.  Maybe you could help him.  And besides, you've looked a 
little like a lost lamb since you've been here."
	"That's very sweet of you.  Really it is.  But if he's not going 
to ask me himself, I don't feel right asking him.  I'm fine--really I 
am--and I am old enough to take care of myself."  She kissed him.
	Baba pawed her cheek.  "Isha and I are so happy.  We're living the 
way Aiheu intended, and it does make all the difference.  Mom, just see 
him once.  Once, Mom.  That's all I ask.  Talk with him.  Maybe hunt 
rabbits together.  If you'll just give it a try, whatever happens is OK 
by me.  And I won't pester you anymore.  Is it a deal?"
	"Baba, please!"
	"Momma, please!"
	"OK, Baba.  It's a deal IF you agree not to interfere anymore."
	"Sure!  Thanks, Mom!  You'll be glad you did."


CHAPTER:  A FRIENDLY GAME

	At the appointed time that evening, Kako made her way to a 
secluded spot behind an outcropping of rock and sat down, waiting.  
Presently the pad of footfalls impressed itself on her hearing and she 
saw King Mabatu's bulk part the grass and stop across from her.  A 
moment of awkward silence passed.  "Hello, Kako."
	"Mabatu."  She nodded and sat.  "How have you been?"
	"As well as can be expected."  He sighed and sat across from her.  
"And you?"
	"Quite well."
	Mabatu sighed.  "Tell me you didn't ask Baba to 'put in the good 
word' for you!  What COULD you have been thinking!"
	"But I never!  I thought that YOU told HIM to...."  She had to 
smile.  "Why that little scheming furball!"
Mabatu chuckled.  "His heart was in the right place."  His smile 
vanished as quickly.  "This must be hard on him.  Oh, if I could only 
tell him the truth!"
"If," Kako said with a sigh.  "You know we swore an oath.  You 
must never tell him, and neither must I."
	"Yeah.  So Kako, how's the hunting coming along?"
	"Very good; I've had to do a lot of relearning, but the patterns 
haven't changed that much around here."
	"There's much around here that hasn't changed."
	"Mabatu, please...don't make this any harder than it has to be."
	He sighed.  "Kako, I know my limits old girl, but do you think the 
gods would mind if we got a LITTLE closer?"  Mabatu lay down in the soft 
grass and beckoned with a paw.  "Please?  I don't have anything 
catching."
	Trembling, Kako inched her way over to him and eased down next to 
him, daring to lay her head on the luxuriant softness of his mane.  She 
inhaled his musky scent and trembled.  "My darling Mabatu..."
	He gingerly placed a foreleg around her and patted her softly on 
the shoulder.  "Kako, it feels like old times.  I never thought I'd see 
you again, and here you are close to me.  I still love you.  We have to 
pretend for the lad, but I never want you to be deceived, not for a 
moment."
	"You know how I feel, darling."
	He gave her another pat.  "Still, I like to hear you say it.  I 
don't get many chances these days."
	She put her paw over his.  "I live for you."  Her inner reserve 
broke and she burst into tears, embracing his comforting bulk.  "Oh 
gods!  What is there left to live for!"
	"Shhh, my Nisei.  There is plenty to live for.  What did you do 
before you met me?"
	"I wandered the barren plains with nothing but my name and a few 
aging kills to scavenge.  I spent those days sure that there must be 
something better.  I spent those days looking for you."
	"And now you've found me--again."  He managed a half-hearted 
smile.  "We have our memories, and we have our children.  No tears, old 
girl.  I mean it!  Our love lives on through them."
	She lifted a paw and caressed his cheek tenderly, tracing the 
wistful expression on his face.  Gently she stroked the flowing curves 
of his cheek down to the broad mantle of auburn mane that covered his 
throat and chest, feeling the rumble of his purr.  Absently she followed 
the flow of his mane, her paw making lazy circles as it moved across his 
chest and onto his upper belly.
	Mabatu shifted uncomfortably.  "I don't think you should do that.  
Don't start something that can only end one way."  He sighed.  "If it 
was only my life to pay, nothing could stop me from making love to you!  
I would feel your lithe and tender body against mine one last time and 
die without regrets."  He shuddered again in the throes of passionate 
arousal.  "Couldn't we see this Rafiki Isha talks about?  He has the ear 
of the gods, doesn't he?"
	"And what would that accomplish?"
	"Maybe there is a way.  If we gave up the kingdom and ran away 
together, the gods would have no reason to torment Baba."
	"You mean we'd become rogues?"
	"Yes, if that's the price of our love."  He reached out with a 
trembling paw and ran it down her chest and belly.  "You are my kingdom, 
my treasure, my every need.  I want you.  I've waited for so long to 
crouch over your beautiful body and feel you shudder next to me!  The 
border is right over there!  Just beyond those trees!  We could make 
love tonight!"
	"And throw away everything we've worked for??  Territory?  
Safety?"
	"Long, lonely nights!  Empty days!"
	"Our family?"
	"Our separation!"
	"Just like that??"
	"Just like that, and never look back!  Yes!"  He rested his 
forearms on her chest, his throbbing heart pressed against hers.  His 
lips brushed against her own as he spoke in a passionate whisper.  "I'm 
on fire!  I want you!  I want both your body and your Ka.  I want to 
fill myself with you.  I can feel you tremble.  You want me too--admit 
it!"
	"Yes, I admit it!" she cried, more like a cry of remorse than 
passion.  She wrapped her paws about him and rocked him gently back and 
forth.  "Do you think the gods would accept it?  Would they be content 
to let us steal a little happiness?  Do you really think they would?"
	"Don't you?"
	"Well I...if only we could...."  She burst into tears and shoved 
him away with her paws.  "We can't!  We can't take the chance!"
	"He sighed and kissed her again, this time gently.  "Is that what 
you really want?"
	She sobbed, "Does it matter what I really want?  What I can't 
have, I must learn to live without!"  She touched him with her tongue.  
"Baba's a lion with a wife and cubs that love him!  I'd never gamble 
with his future, and neither would you.  Not when you have control of 
your passions.  Not when you've thought about what he means to us--both 
of us."
	He slid off her chest and rolled on his back, taking in a deep 
breath and letting it out in a sigh.  "Yes, I love him too.  I owe him 
my kingdom and my life.  I have let my feelings run away with my common 
sense, old girl."
	"Then you understand."
	"I understand."  He looked at her intently.  "Perhaps for the last 
time in this world, let me say that I love you with my life, my heart, 
my very soul.  Never forget that, my blessed Nisei!"
	"Lover, in my dreams tonight I will feel your breath on my cheek!"  
She wiped her eyes and sniffed.  "I will tell our son that we were bound 
too tightly to our past to build a new love.  That's not really a lie 
when you come to think about it."
	"You can't build a new love till you lose the old one."  He 
reached over and very gently kissed the tip of her muzzle.  "God bless 
you, Kako."
	She struggled to her feet, looking back with a silver tear 
catching the moonlight on her cheek.  "God bless you too."  And then she 
turned and stalked away into the shadows.
	When she was gone, he rolled on his back and looked at the stars 
with a sigh.  "Aiheu, I wish I were dead!"


CHAPTER:  THE NEXT DAY

	Baba was anxious to hear news of his matchmaking game, but his 
mother's polite smile prepared him for disappointment.  "It was 
interesting," she said.  "Things just didn't work out.  I felt guilty, 
like I was about to cheat on my husband, and he felt like he was 
sneaking out on his wife.  In the end, we just sat and talked politely.  
He's a good friend, and I'm glad I got to know him better, but neither 
one of us had nerve to go make love."
	King Mabatu passed by.  "Hello Baba.  Good morning, Kako."
	"Good morning to you too," she said.  "I trust you slept well?"
	"Yes, thank you."  He glanced at her longingly and trembled.  "I 
enjoyed our little chat last night."
	"So did I," she said, following the curves of his mane and the 
build of his shoulders with her eyes.  She had to look away.  Baba did 
not know what to look for, or he would have seen much that morning.
	Listless and somewhat detached from the rest of the world, Kako 
went through the motions of her morning routine, taking a long cool 
drink from the stream, grooming her face and neck with a paw, and 
settling down for a nap with the Pride Sisters.  Only her eyes rarely 
closed, and during a brief bout with sleep, she twitched and moaned a 
great deal, waking with a start and crying, "I can't!"
	Mabatu fared little better.  Baba saw him perched on a kopje, 
watching the goings on of the savanna with a sullen, withdrawn air.  He 
climbed up and sat next to his father.  "What's wrong, Dad?  Are you 
feeling sick?
	"No, son.  I was just thinking."
	"About what?"
	"About you.  How much I loved you, and how much I'd give up for 
you.  You do love me too, don't you?"
	"For shame!"  Baba buried his head in the old king's mane and 
purred affectionately.  "Of course I love you!  I owe you my very life!"
	Mabatu leaned on him.  "Son, those words carry a bitter irony you 
can't understand now.  But someday you will."
	"What does that mean?"
	Mabatu pawed his shoulder.  "You have a son now.  Bringing him 
into the world was one of life's sweetest pleasures, but raising him is 
one of life's hardest responsibilities.  Look around at these faces.  On 
the surface, they appear to be looking in every direction.  But deep 
down inside they are all looking to me for protection and guidance.  And 
someday they will all be looking to you.  You see, son, there's only one 
difference between you and a rogue lion."
	"What's that?"
	"A rogue lion has nothing to lose.  Always remember that."  He 
laughed bitterly.  "Listen to the old lion going on.  I'm rambling and 
not making any sense."
	"I think you make lots of sense," Baba said.  "I never knew my 
real father, but I don't feel so bad about it now."  He rested his head 
on Mabatu.  "What did I do to deserve all this?"
	The king purred.  "You made an old lion feel much better.  That is 
enough."
	That evening, Kako tried to lose herself in the hunt.  But she 
does not concentrate well.  One of her daughters said, "How do you stand 
it?  I mean, you're in your season--you and him together alone!"
	"This is one subject not to mention in front of Baba or Isha.  Is 
that understood?"
	"Sure, Mom.  But you were taking a big risk last night being alone 
with Dad.  It's clear to all of us that you still love him."  
"I kept my head about me.  Nothing happened."  
"Oh?  Really?  You weren't even tempted for a moment?"
	"My son lives, doesn't he?  My love for your father is strong, but 
my mother love is even stronger.  God bless him, Baba was trying to fix 
me up with a date.  He doesn't know, and he must never know why your Dad 
and I are not together."
	"I think it's a shame to give up so much and not be able to tell 
him."
	"I think it would be a worse shame to have him feel guilty."
	"True, true," the others said.
	Kako sounded in control and very rational, but she could barely 
concentrate on the task at hand and she was very forgetful.  Umande 
watched her in anguish as she strove to act normal with the turmoil she 
felt inside.
	Kako taught them Uzuri's crescent formation, and they decided to 
use it.  She took up her old post on the left point, but gave the pre-
arranged signals with her ears that guided the others unfailingly 
through the steps of the predatory ballet.  
	Wildebeests had congregated on the meadow near the termite mounds.  
The splashing of water in the creek was a perfect cover for the delicate 
leonine tread that brought the huntresses ever closer.
	Most of the young calves were in the center of the herd protected 
by a wall of formidable adults.  But one young mother let her 
inexperience show, and she was at the rim of the herd with her calf.  
"Aiheu abamami," Kako silently mouthed.  "Aiheu provides."
	Her ears flicked forward.  At once, several lionesses plunged from 
the surrounding grass.  The Wildebeests cried out in alarm, taking 
flight.  The central column of huntresses drove the well-ordered herd 
into two bodies that fled in opposite directions.  Shennanii tore into 
the right company, grabbing hold of a large bull by the shoulder, 
climbing on his back and slowing him just enough for others to seize his 
flanks, stomach and lower back.  He fell into their deadly embrace as 
Shennanii closed on his throat.
	Kako strode swiftly after the screaming calf, cutting it off from 
the rest of the herd.  She bounded ever closer and readied herself to 
aim a blow at its shoulder that would make it hers.  Then out of the 
corner of her eye she saw the cow approaching, horns lowered.
	Umande heard a lioness scream.  Galvanized, she broke off her 
pursuit of a calf and searched frantically for the source.  Lying in the 
grass trembling was a golden body smeared with its own red blood.  
Trembling, she drew close.
	"Momma!!  Oh gods!!"
	Wide-eyed, Kako reached for her with her one good arm.  "Mandy, go 
get Mabatu!  Quick!"
	"Momma!!"
	"Go, honey tree!  Run!  Get Mabatu!"
	Umande, sobbing, ran screaming past her pride sisters.  "Kako's 
dying!!  Get Mabatu!!"
	"Which one??"
	"Both of them!"
	Umande and Shennanii rushed back to the Pride Kopje and saw Mabatu 
and Baba going over some star lore and laughing, blissfully unaware of 
the tragedy unfolding near the termite mounds.
	"Come quick!" Mandy shouted.  "It's Kako!  Hurry!"
	Mabatu and Baba tore across the grassland.  The peaceful stars 
were beginning to come out, and a hush was settling across the land.  
Crickets serenaded the newborn moon and a distant hyena was heard 
serenading his lady love.  With maddening consistency, the flow of life 
did not pause even for a minute as Kako lay gasping in a pool of her own 
blood.
	Mabatu drew near and shuddered.  She started to say something to 
him, but she looked over and saw Baba.  "Be strong.  Remember the 
promise."
"Even now?"
"Even now."
"You were a good friend to me."
"So long, my king."  
"Yes, my friend.  So long."
Baba drew near.  Tears streamed down his cheeks.  "Oh Momma!"
"My little boy!  Oh, but you're not little anymore, my handsome 
lion.  Be good to Isha."
Isha fell to the ground and wailed in anguish.  Habusu and Lisani 
huddled next to her and sobbed.
"Don't die!  Please don't die!"  Baba lay his head against her 
side like a helpless cub.  "Oh gods, I can't lose you, I just can't!  
Get up, Momma!  I'll take you to the shaman!  Get up, Momma!  Please!"
Mabatu touches his mane softly with a paw.  "Nothing can stop it 
now.  Don't spoil her last moments with you."
Baba looked into his mother's eyes.  "I love you, Mom!  You hear 
me?  I love you."
She managed a weak smile.  "You have no idea how much I love you," 
she said.  Her eyes looked over at Mabatu, then closed.
The lionesses sat about stunned.  Mabatu got up stiffly and nudged 
his Prince.  "Baba, you lead the roar.  She was your mother.  I have to 
go patrol the border now."
"Right now?"
"Yes.  I'm sorry."  He stroked Baba's mane.  "I remember when my 
mother died.  I know what you're feeling my son."


CHAPTER:  ALONE

	Mabatu left the group and headed off into the trees.  He rounded 
the other side of a small kopje and collapsed.
With his cheek pressed to the earth, he reached out with his 
forelegs and extended his claws, digging them deeply into the grass and 
pulling back to plow furrows in the grass.  "Kako!!  God, why didn't you 
take me instead??  Why, why??"
	His stomach knotted, and tears flooded his eyes.  "I must stay in 
control," he stammered.  He raised his head up and pulled up into a 
crouch, then tried to stand.  He bit his lip to keep from crying, but 
couldn't.  "I'm in control.  I can do this!"
	He raised up on his forepaws, then crumbled to the earth, rolling 
on his side and curling into a ball of misery, sobbing.  "I must stay in 
control," he hissed through clenched teeth.  "I must!"
	For many moments he lay there and shuddered, too weak to move.  
Then with a supreme effort, Mabatu actually struggled to his feet.  He 
turned about and started to head back home.  His legs trembled so badly 
he could hardly control them, and his joints were weak.  "I can't let 
Baba find out," he said.  "He must never know."
	His stomach hurt, and tears streamed down his cheeks.  He took a 
couple of steps, then collapsed again and lay helplessly as his body was 
wracked with powerful sobs that with passing minutes died down to a 
soft, plaintive utterance like the cries of an infant cub separated from 
its mother.
	"Why, Aiheu?" he whimpered.  "Why did you take her from me?  
Didn't you think I could be trusted?"  He rolled on his back.  "I was 
weak for a moment, but I overcame it!  I could have withstood 
temptation!"  He covered his eyes with his paws.  "Help me!  You have to 
help me!  If you still love me, give me strength to go on!"
	Just then, Umande breasted the wall of grass and shrubs.  She 
smelled the fresh earth and saw the look on his face.  "Oh Dad!"  She 
wept and nuzzled him.  "Daddy, I love you so much!  So much!"
	He pawed her face and kissed her.  "My little Mandy!  You don't 
remember your Mom too well, but honey tree, she loved you with her whole 
heart!  She used to call you Mimo."
	"I remember.  Just this morning she called me Mimo, right before 
we went...."  She broke down and wept.  "This morning she was so alive!  
So warm and alive!"
	"I know!"  Mabatu rubbed his head against her cheek, but then he 
started.  "Are you alone??"
	"Yes.  I was not followed."  She came and laid her head in his 
soft mane and pawing him desperately.  "I couldn't stand it anymore.  
How can I call Mother my friend??  She was so much more than that!  She 
has to be mourned properly--we can't let her Ka slip away like that."
	"You're right, you know."  Mabatu looked about and kissed Mandy 
gently.  "Let's do it right.  Baba will think I'm proclaiming the border 
if we're careful."
	Mabatu and Umande got up and climbed to the top of the rock.  They 
waited for Baba's roar of grief, and they picked that moment to answer.  
"I love you, Mother!" Mandy cried.
	"Beloved, my heart is dead!" Mabatu shouted.  Tears coursed down 
his cheeks and he drew in a deep breath, releasing it in a loud, long 
roar.  Umande raised her nose to the sky and joined him.  The 
foundations of heaven were shaken, and the sound of their pain echoed 
off the distant hills in a hundred eerie permutations.
	When the sound finally died down, Mabatu kissed Umande.  "Well, 
Mandy, let's go mark the boundaries.  I think I'll need someone to lean 
on."
	"Are you sure you can make it?"
	"I have to make it.  She died with such courage, surely I can find 
the strength to pee on a shrub."  His voice had renewed strength, but a 
tear still managed to escape and roll down his cheek.  "Honey Tree, I've 
made some sacrifices for my children, but they were paid back many times 
over.  You are such a comfort to me.  I love you."
	"I love you too, Dad."


CHAPTER:  NO SWEETER REST

	Baba remembered that his new father would sleep in a certain 
place, but about one moon after his mother died, he noticed that Mabatu 
made a mysterious pilgrimage.  He would reappear in his usual place each 
morning, but apparently did not spend the night in that spot.  This 
intrigued Baba and one night he determined to follow his father.
	Quietly tailing him, Baba watched as King Mabatu walked, ears 
drooped and tail hanging limply.  The King crossed the broad meadow, the 
creek, and beyond to the termite mounds and the place where Kako died.  
By her bleached bones--or what was left of them--Mabatu fell on his face 
and rolled on his back.  "Kako!" he sobbed.  "Kako!  My little Kako!"
	Baba, against his better judgment, walked to Mabatu and touched 
him with his paw.
	The old king jerked around.  "What are you doing here??"
	Tearfully, Baba stroked his mane with a paw.  "You don't have to 
hide it from me anymore."
	"Hide what??" Mabatu asked fearfully.
	"You loved her, didn't you?"
	Mabatu sighed.  "Yes, I loved her.  Her ties to your father were 
stronger than death itself.  And I loved her stronger than death itself.  
She knew that--she asked me to be strong for your sake.  The poor Nisei, 
always looking after us, even at the boundaries of death itself!"  He 
pawed Baba's mane.  "Ask me no more about it, Baba.  Not if you love 
me."
	"As you wish, father.  But tell me: you come here every night, 
don't you."
	"Yes.  And when I die, I want to die here.  It's a beautiful spot 
to meet Aiheu in.  Yes, a beautiful spot for anything.  Kako and I were 
apart in life, but we will be together in death."
	Baba wept.  "If I have to drag you here myself, you will rest 
here."
	Mabatu nuzzled him tenderly, then lay in the grass and said, "Son, 
you have a wife whose fur is warm and soft.  Leave me with the dead and 
go treasure the living while they may be found.  I'll be OK, I promise."


CHAPTER:  A BLESSED EVENT

	Isha responded to Baba's love by kindling new life within her.  
Baba had never witnessed pregnancy before, and he spent many days in 
anxious pacing as the evidence of his new family began to show.
	"This waiting is killing me!" he said after two moons.
	"What do you think it's doing to me??" Isha asked.  Then she laid 
on her side and motioned for him to come over.  "Lay your head against 
me here.  Now listen very carefully."
	Baba settled against her belly, straining to hear the sounds of 
new life.  "Hey!"
	"Did you hear anything?"
	"No, but something moved!"
	"Not something.  Someone.  Your child."
	Baba raised his head, a look of such beauty in his eyes that Isha 
had to reach out with a paw and stroke him.  "Life is a miracle," he 
murmured.  "My beautiful Isha!  I love you so!"
	Isha did not follow Kako's lead and hunt when she was having 
contractions.  But she did hunt right up to her due date, taking a 
position as beater and leaving the main kill to the unburdened.  Even 
that made Baba nearly split his hide.  Mabatu had to reassure him that 
Isha knew what she was doing.  
	One day, Isha excused herself from the hunt.  Worriedly, Baba 
asked her, "Are you all right?"
	"It's time," she said.
	"Time for what?"
	"Time for Habu's mantlement," she said pointedly.  "I'm having 
contractions!"
	"Oh."
	When the full realization hit him, he nearly went into 
histrionics.  "Where are the midwives??  Don't you think Rafiki should 
be here??  They're out on the hunt at a time like this??"
	"Just relax and it will all be over soon," Isha said.  She could 
tell it was going to be a difficult delivery, and she wished that Rafiki 
could have been there to give Baba something for the pain.
	"What are we going to do?"
	Isha grimaced and breathed deeply.  Trying to remain calm, she 
said, "Bring Mabatu here.  My midwives will be midhusbands."
	"But I don't know what to do??"
	"I'll talk you through it, Honey Tree.  Just relax."
	Her water broke, and labor began in earnest.  Throughout the 
stressful process, several cries of discomfort broke the stillness of 
the night, but Isha tried hard to ignore them.  She brought out one, 
two, and finally three cubs.
	"Remove the sacs," she told Mabatu.  "You can do it."
	He reached out with his paw, claws extended.
	"No, use your teeth."
	"My teeth??"
	"Hurry or they'll suffocate!"
	Grimacing with disgust, Mabatu pulled the membranous sac from each 
cub.  "Eew!"
	"Now Baba, you help lick them clean.  Hurry, Baba!  You wanted to 
help, didn't you?"
	Baba parted his lips and managed to part his tightly clenched 
teeth.  He touched the first cub with his tongue and licked toward the 
face.  After the initial shock, he relaxed and began to groom more 
vigorously.  Mabatu took one of the others and began to groom.  "It's 
not SO bad."
	"Of course not," Isha said, taking the third one and grooming 
quickly but lovingly.  "Do you realize these are your children, Baba?  
And your grandchildren, Mabatu?"
	"Yeah!" Baba said.  "My children!  Look how small and fragile they 
are!  Look at those tiny paws and that little pink nose!"
	Isha smiled proudly.  "Two sons and a daughter.  The sons will be 
N'ga and Sufa.  But I'm unsure about the daughter."
	Habu came up.  He regarded the small bundle of fur and said, "I'd 
like to name her Jona."
	A pained look came to Isha's face.  "Why that name, my son?"
	"Because she was my friend.  She was very special to me."
	Isha put her paw on his.  "She was very special to me too.  That's 
why no more of my cubs must ever have that name.  I already have two 
Mabatus to keep track of, honey tree.  Let's think of something else."
	Habu said, "Maybe we could call her Penda?"
	"Rafiki's little girl."  Isha thought for a moment, then smiled.  
"Yes, that is a good name.  It means `beloved,' and she will be."  She 
looked around at the three generations of males and nodded.  "You were 
there when I needed you.  I don't know what I would have done without 
your help."


CHAPTER:  OUR BODIES BECOME THE GRASS

	Lisani grew into quite a beautiful lioness.  Isha looked at her 
appraisingly one day and said, "Beesa would be so proud of you.  I know 
I am."  Habu noticed as well, and while his cubhood devotion remained 
undimmed, it took on an additional richness of depth and meaning as he 
longed to bond with her and raise a family.
	Miss Priss was an apt pupil, quick to master hunting skills and 
put them into practice.  She was rather young when she made her first 
kill and was doubly proud when Isha put the blood on her cheek.  All she 
had to wait for was Habu's mantlement.
	Habusu enjoyed something that was a rare privilege for Ahadi's 
line.  He had a grandfather.  King Mabatu doted on him as much as he did 
Isha's newer cubs.
	King Mabatu had lost his wife, but it would be unfair to say his 
last years were dark.  Far from it, he would roll on his back and sweep 
his paw at Aiheu, thanking him for the love that was the comfort of his 
old age.
	Still he never forgot Kako, and a day never passed that he didn't 
express his grief in his own special way.  The day of Habusu's 
mantlement, when he watched Habu pledge to Lissie, Mabatu could almost 
feel Kako's presence next to him.  It was a peaceful feeling, and after 
the ceremony, he sought her out.
	King Mabatu slinked quietly to the Termite Mounds.  He stood where 
the green grass swayed and flowers nodded in the breeze.  On that spot 
Kako had gone to be with Aiheu.  Mabatu stroked a tender spike of purple 
flowers.  "From one beauty to another," he murmured gently.  "My little 
Nisei."  Finding comfort in the soft grass that sprang from her body, he 
spoke to her.
	"You know, Habusu is an old married lion now.  Yes, he's taken the 
big step, and you should see what a good couple they make, Miss Priss 
and Habu.  When I see them together, I remember the wonderful times we 
had together.  Oh girl, what times they were!  I'm just sorry you're not 
here to see this.  You would be so proud."  He closed his eyes and 
pillowed his head in the soft grass.  Taking in a deep breath, he tasted 
the fragrance of the flowers.  "See you in my dreams, honey tree."


CHAPTER:  EPILOGUE

	Old King Mabatu had not walked the border for many days.  He left 
the job to his capable son and grandson, and while he was not worried 
about safety the inactivity was a blow to his self esteem.
	For a week or so, Mabatu said, "Tomorrow I will mark, but today 
I'm just not well.  But don't worry about me."  Then as he declined 
rapidly, he stopped the pretense and began to speak of Kako more in the 
present tense than in the past.  "She will be young and fresh.  What 
will she think of this broken-down old lion coming to meet her!"
	Makaka and Anasa were taking turns monitoring his care.  At first, 
Mabatu chafed saying, "I don't trust these female doctors!"  After a 
couple of days, however, he would rest his large head in the shelter of 
Anasa's arms and whimper as he would not dare in front of the males.  
"Honey Tree, do you have anything that will help this pain?  It's all I 
can do just to go on from minute to minute."  She would kiss him and 
treat him with herbs, and before a week was out, he would be 
disappointed to see Makaka coming.  "What have you done with my honey 
tree??"
	Then one day Mabatu was restless.  He could barely move, but he 
spoke incessantly about going to the termite mounds.  "This is not a 
good place to die," he insisted.  "I need a change of scenery."
	He was so insistent that Makaka was afraid he would hurt himself 
in his struggles.  He knew what was happening, for Baba had told him 
about his final wishes long ago.  "Eat this.  It will give you what you 
need."
	Old King Mabatu chewed the strip of jerky slowly, careful to 
swallow all of it.  Despite the strong spicy flavor of the meat, he 
could taste the medication in it.  "I hope you know what you're doing," 
Mabatu said slowly.  "This stuff tastes awful."
	"It will loosen up your joints," Makaka said.
	"That's what I need.  Even now, I can see Mano standing over 
there."  He looked around at an empty place on the meadow.  "See, the 
white lion does not cast a shadow.  Or maybe you do not see.  Mano 
appears to whom he will."
	While he laid still and let the drug take effect, his daughters 
came one by one and filed past him, kissing him and saying, "Pray for 
me, Daddy."  Baba and Isha kissed him, and their cubs came and rubbed on 
his face.  Mabatu looked about at the crowd and heaved a sigh, then he 
smiled gratefully.  "You made my life worthwhile.  I thank you all."
	With a look of supreme effort, King Mabatu struggled to his feet.  
Isha and Umande pushed him fully upright and leaned against his sides as 
he took to his last trail.
	Away across the long meadow, they walked under the hot sun toward 
the distant termite mounds.  Another lion might not have endured the 
long trek, but Mabatu had one last thing to accomplish, and he would not 
die until he had done it.
	He dragged himself the last final steps to the termite mounds and 
found the spot where he had slept so many nights.  There he collapsed 
and sighed deeply.  "This is a good place to die.  Maybe a flower will 
grow here, and both of us will come back as one beautiful blossom." 
	Mabatu wanted to tell Baba that he really WAS his father but 
didn't dare say it directly.  "When I am gone, talk with my daughter.  
She will tell you things that I would say if only I could.  But son, if 
Aiheu allows, my Ka will remain here a moment after I'm dead.  If you 
have anything to say to me, speak then."  
	Baba put his paw over the King's.  "Is it about Mom?"
	"I cannot say.  But know this--I loved your mother very much, and 
I love you with all my heart."
	He rolled on his side and his eyelids began to droop.  "Prepare me 
for my death.  The darkness is settling in."
	Baba reached out with his paw and drew a circle around his 
father's eye and touched him under the chin.  As tears started, he asked 
him, "Are you my father?"
	Mabatu smiled weakly.  "I love you."  He took in a deep breath, 
shuddered, and released it in a prolonged sigh.  His mouth hung open and 
urine trickled out behind him in a small puddle.
	Umande came to him.  "Your real father is dead."
	Mabatu answered, "I knew.  Somehow, I always knew."  He looked at 
the body, pained.  "Why couldn't he tell me?"
	"He promised to keep silent for your sake.  When my father was 
very young, he was separated from his sister."  Umande sighed, looking 
at her dead father and stroking his mane with her paw.  "Dad and his 
brother grew up and eventually ruled the Pride Lands together.
	"Then one day a rogue lioness came in wanting refuge.  Her name 
was Kako, and eventually she and my father fell in love and pledged to 
each other.  Between them, they raised many cubs.  Most of them were 
female and lived, but the two males they had were born dead.  Then your 
mother became pregnant with you.  She left your father soon afterwards."
	But if they were so much in love, why did Mom leave him?"
	"To save your life."  Umande pawed him.  "Your father wanted to 
know why none of his sons lived.  So he asked a shaman for help and 
found out to his horror that Kako was his own sister."
	Baba gasped.  "Oh my gods!"
	"The shaman said if Kako would forsake my father and if they would 
hide the truth from you, that you would be spared.  Few parents have 
ever shown such love to their child as you have been shown."  Tears 
filled her eyes.  "Do you remember the day I tried to make love to you?"
	"How could I forget?"
	"I found out that evening that I was your sister."  She touched 
his mane with her paw.  "His pain had become mine.  I've never loved 
another lion but you, and I never will."  She wept softly and bowed her 
head in shame.
	"Oh honey tree!"  He kissed away his tears.  "I'm so sorry!"
	"Don't be sorry," she said.  "For some odd reason, I feel much 
better now.  No more vows of silence, but I hope you won't breathe a 
word about--you know--US--to Isha?  She looks like the jealous type."
	Baba nodded.  He stroked Mabatu's mane with his paw.  "I was going 
to say it made no difference if you were my real father or not.  But you 
know, Dad, I don't think I've ever been as proud of being your son as I 
am right now.  I love you."


THE END:  THE PROMISE