Trails on Sand
Prologue
Kiara's mind was burning. Young queen was trying to run and think in the same time, but it was hard, very hard. Lioness was exhausted, terrified and lost. Five months of living in the Golden Sands hadn't taught her even basics of local topography. She saw the walls of Rumble Gorge, she knew that behind its mouth there is just two kilometres of desert and then safe rock of Golden Cave, but traits of her route were unknown to her. She was speeding at random, only thanks to enormous luck not falling to one of numerous cracks in gorge's bottom. She was trying to chose the optimal way, to save every joule of energy, finding the shortest shortcut, but she just couldn't regain any orientation in that crazy run. She knew that she was much slower and less enduring than her chase. In the same time she was no match in combat. Her only chance was to reach the safe home or at least close enough to call for help. The rules of game were clear, as clear as that Kiara was losing fast.
She tripped when her front paw fell into small rock crack. Lioness even didn't felt that – just saw as her limb stuck in hole, then whole world turned upside-down. She made somersault and landed perfectly on her back. It would be funny, especially seen from aside, however Kiara felt no urge to laugh but to cry. The wave of pain from broken paw deluged her. No, it was not broken! Just a bit stretched… I must get up and run…
She opened her eyes to see perfectly blue sky above. Then she rolled on side, gently pulling her paw up. It hurt, but was still in one piece. There still was a chance. She stood up and carefully based on wounded limb. A pain returned and queen felt she had to make a break to overcome it. She looked around, but not to see for her pursuer. She needed just to calm her scared mind. She glimpsed on gorge around and just thought about its strange beauty.
The Golden Sands and its vicinity were so unlike to Pridelands. But were also charming as well. It was a harsh kind of beauty – made of sharp rock and monumental walls of stone. And – of course – endless plains of golden sand. But the silent majesty of ancient land appealed to Kiara's heart in different, however the same strong way than mild features of her home savannah. "I'm the queen of that kingdom." She thought, letting her first tears to flow. She was crying both because of burning pain in her paw and sudden understanding of her past errors. "And I don't know my land. I was responsible for that soil but I didn't care of knowing it and loving it as I should. And that doomed me now. If I only knew Rumble Gorge, I would have escaped…" But then she heard steps of running lion. The chase was near.
Kiara turned back to the deeper gorge. She was looking on north-west, just against the early afternoon sun. But in the deluge of golden rays, she felt where exactly were lioness chasing her. Fur of pursuer was sparkling with reflected light, however queen knew that in reality it was much darker, almost brown. When she got closer, Kiara was able to look on her persecutor once more. Young, well-built female of blue eyes and decisive stare seemed was coming slowly, carefully, ready to attack. "Does she really think I would defend myself?" sobbed queen in mind. "She is stronger, well trained and unhurt. There is no way I could stand against her." Pursuer had some wild and erratic beauty, so alike to landscape around. Her sharp muzzle-features and decisive moves were expressing clear intend to kill.
"Stand and fight!" shouted adversary. "I will kill you."
"I… I can't!" sobbed Kiara, raising her scratched paw. "I just can't."
"There is no room for weakens here, my lady." Said brown lioness. In her voice the irony was clearly heard. "Stand up and fight!"
"You are stronger. I can't win with you."
"So, you will let me just slaughter your?" asked attacked, slowly coming to paralysed with fear queen. "Is that what you were taught?"
"It hurts." Cried Kiara, still raising her wounded paw.
"I know." Nodded brown lioness and pounced on the queen.
She did her best to shun. What she managed was to jump few feet aside, so claws of attacker pierced the air not her throat. But she was pushed with mass of warrioress and fell to the ground. When she raised her head against rays of sun she sensed that enemy was just behind her, putting her paw on queen's neck.
"I'm sorry." Whispered brown lioness. "There is no room for weakness here."
Then Kiara felt cold touch of sharp claws on her throat.
My name is Tetesi and I'm subject of king Kovu. Or I'm not? It's hard to say if I still could name myself that. If you hear my tale, you'll probably judge me that I don't deserve even to speak the name of my beloved king. But now I do, because there is no other way to tell you about tragedy in Golden Sands. I do not ask for sympathy nor forgiveness. You are not the ones whose forgiveness I would seek. And If Kovu knew about it all, he wouldn't have forgiven me. But I hope that tale will never reach his ears. I just want your understanding. There is a lot of evens in history of my pride, or our allies that seemed to be very misunderstood by further generations. Reign of king Ahadi, argument of Scar and Mufasa or war of Golden Pride and Pridelanders. Of course, also last years of old Golden Kingdom, under rule of king Arista. All those tales look as reports of crimes at the first glance, but after longer examination turn to be not a chronicle of evil and wickedness but a testimonies of weakness and dramas. Of situations without solution and choices that none of you would like to take. I hope that my story become one of them – you will understand that what I did I had to do. I can't tell it to Kovu – now it's much to late to confess it all. So you will be a substitute of my king's judgement. Hear it and decide: if I did wrong, or I did just what was necessary.
And you won't know about that, Kovu. That's good, only in your ignorance, while you don't know how I hurt you, I could save what I have. So don't listen to me.
My king.
My love.