Icarus was confused. Last he remembered, he had fallen asleep next to his queen Nyota and with his daughter Lana using the soft, luxurious black mane on his head as a bed, in the heart of the Kuatan Jungle. But, when he awoke, neither one of them was anywhere to be found. What was more, this den was not the comfortable den that the Tree of Origin provided, and in fact was quite clearly smaller than average. And then Icarus stood up, and he could suddenly remember clearly where and when he was. "This is…" Icarus started, before his thoughts were interrupted, by Saul.
Saul was very much alive and well, although he looked serious and worried. At first, Icarus just stood there, not quite understanding how that could be. Saul was dead, and had been dead for 3 months now. He would never see the two cubs Kuendesha had conceived, nor did he even get to name them. In fact, he probably wasn't even aware that Kuendesha was pregnant as he raced off to retrieve Sina. Icarus was actually tempted to inform him of this.
And then Icarus remembered that exact look on his face only to well, and he dreaded reliving this day. "Hey, Icarus, uh… I have some news." Icarus responded as he did that day, knowing that maybe he would get answers. "What? Did you fail to catch something again?" Icarus joked, doing his best to recreate the mirth of that morning. And it seemed to work, for Saul gave his response. "Oh that happens one time. And, for what it's worth I did manage to kill it. Just not in a way that was useful to us." He was, of course, referring to the fact that the young gazelle he managed to cripple surprised him by wriggling her way from his grasp and as a result fell off the cliff. And straight into the Northern River. As opposed to dying by suffocation at the claws of a lion, she had chosen a near-instant death at the jaws of a crocodile, assuming of course she survived the fall in the first place. "In all seriousness, this is something I think you need to hear for yourself. Tsara also said she wanted to be the one to tell you this." He said, regaining his serious tone. It seemed he himself had needed the light banter as, now that Icarus thought about it, Saul himself had seemed to still be absorbing what it was that Icarus had to hear for himself. Of course, Icarus went to see his mother straight away. If only he knew what was waiting for him when he had stepped into the much larger den that, 3 weeks prior, she had shared with his father Daedalus. The den that, 3 weeks ago, was where Icarus and Saul shared their last laugh with the lion who had raised them and the rest of their friends. But now, however…
"Icarus, son. So glad you had a moment to spare. Just let me look at you for a moment." Tsara, for the first time, looked at her son as though she were appraising a treasure or sizing up a piece of meat that she was going to give someone else. "You have grown well, my boy. Good to see that you took your training seriously." Tsara complimented, a rarity for her, as she hadn't ever complimented Daedalus in any meaningful way, much less anyone else. "Well, I did have the best teacher in all of Africa." Icarus said, as he did back then. He meant it, too, but once again Tsara made it clear that she was not going to show emotion just yet. "Yes, you did. And, as a mother and a teacher, there comes a point when the students are turned out into the world to make their own way." She said. She never once danced around the issue and she wasn't going to start now. Normally, Icarus applauded that trait and even looked for it in other lionesses he fancied, but on this one Icarus could have 'danced' for the rest of his life. "What?" Icarus asked, rather dumbly. Or, rather, his brain was failing to comprehend what was just said.
"I've already told Saul this. But you both are 3 years old now, and fully ready to stand on your own four feet. Every single cub that I raised in this pride, has become a model lion who can take care of themselves and could potentially rule their own pride. My son is no different; actually, that's not true. My own son is the one who will be living in the lap of luxury. You just merely need to seize it, and your chance starts today, as soon as you walk out of these caves. Go, and make me proud. Make Daedalus proud."
Icarus had understood; at least, he thought he had understood. He didn't want to leave his birth pride, but then, neither he nor Saul had a choice. And that was what had bothered him the most that day, and that bothered him even as he woke up, and surveyed his surroundings he remembered that his daughter was lazily and dreamily content on his head, his mane serving as a comforting pillow. He remembered his beautiful mate Nyota, whose reddish-brown pelt seemed to emit warmth as she slept. And then he remembered Kuendesha and the two cubs that she nestled in her arms so that they would be comfortable.
And then remembered that the father said cubs, his best friend, was now only a memory, and said memory would live on in his dreams.