Lioness Tales

Tale 2: Chiku's Training

Chapter 2: A Life-Changing Goal

The hunting party was making their way back to the lair. They had managed to bring down a small gazelle and a zebra, so they felt in good spirits, knowing that they would all be well fed for the next couple of days.

The lionesses were talking animatedly amongst themselves, discussing their attack tactics, and what could be improved for the next hunting session. They took turns to drag the heavy catch along, and Johari, who was now pulling the gazelle on her own, was trying her best not to lag behind. She managed to catch up unexpectedly, when Kamaria stopped on her tracks all of a sudden. The lioness had noticed Salehe running towards them as fast as his paws could carry him.

"Huh? That's weird," Kamaria said out loud, making the rest of the lionesses turn in the direction she was looking at. "Why isn't he waiting for us like usual?"

"You don't suppose something happened, do you?" Tisha wondered, taking a short moment to scratch herself behind her ear, while Salehe closed the gap between them.

Kamaria shrugged back at her, looking puzzled.

The lion finally reached the hunting party, looking visibly shocked.

"What are you doing here? Is everything okay?" Kamaria asked, nuzzling him gently.

Salehe looked at his lionesses, not sure how to tell them the bad news. He finally gathered some courage and told them solemnly, "I'm afraid I've got very bad news. It's Ishara... Someone attacked her while we were away."

The lionesses gasped in shock, and they looked at each other in disbelief.

Johari's eyes opened wide as soon as she heard those words. She released the gazelle from her jaws and it landed on the ground, creating a small cloud of dust. It took her a few seconds for the information to actually sink in. Her own sister, hurt?

Kamaria gasped in shock. "Is it serious?"

Salehe swallowed with difficulty, and he managed to whisper, "She didn't make it. She's dead."

Johari sat down for a moment, as her head began to spin. It had been her idea to bring an extra gazelle along, because she knew Ishara liked them so much. She could not comprehend the fact that her sister was no longer there anymore, waiting for her, ready to compliment her on her hunting skills and devouring her favorite meal with a huge grin on her face.

The rest of the lionesses remained quiet, unsure what to say, feeling immense sadness for the death of a beloved Pride-mate. Ishara might not have been a great huntress, but she was always kind and helpful. The lionesses knew they could always count on her, and her loss came as a big shock to everyone.

Two young lionesses named Faiza and Etana, who had had their First Hunt only recently, approached Salehe, a bit hesitantly. They didn't want to interrupt the lionesses' mourning, but they were concerned for the well-being of their best friend.

"Do you know if Gasira and the cubs okay?" Etana finally whispered as quietly as she could, trying not to disturb.

Salehe nodded, and addressed all of them. "The cubs and Gasira are all right. They're all still by the tunnel, waiting for my confirmation that the intruders are gone. I asked her to stay there for the time being, until we know for sure it's safe to bring the cubs back."

The lion then took a deep breath and whispered to his mate, "Kamaria, will you please come with me?"

Kamaria nodded, drying her face with a paw quickly.

"Everyone else, please wait here. It's all terribly shocking, and I don't want you to see that," Salehe told the rest of the lionesses.

Curious as they were, they nodded quietly and didn't ask any further questions, except Johari, who finally managed to mumble through her choked-up throat, "Can I come with you?"

Salehe frowned sadly as he turned to her. "Johari... I think it's better if you stay. She-"

"She was my sister! You can't tell me I cannot see her one last time, please!" Johari interrupted Salehe, bursting into tears.

Salehe and Kamaria looked at each other, unsure that this was a good idea, but Salehe nodded in the end.

"Okay, as you wish, Johari. You can come with us. We'll come back for the rest of you later," he told the shaken lionesses.

The hunting party sat down to wait and to guard their catch, having lost all appetite after hearing such bad news.

Johari in the meantime followed Salehe and Kamaria, listening intently to their conversation, eager to find out exactly what happened.

"Gasira said Ishara raised the alarm first. She was sure it was those two rogues we've heard so much about. She told Gasira to take the cubs and hide them," Salehe explained, "From the looks of it, Ishara was right. I have to warn you both, it's a horrible sight, that's also why I asked Gasira to keep the cubs in the tunnel a bit longer... I don't want them to see this, especially Hadithi. I want him to remember his mother the way she looked like when she was alive, and not like this."

The three lions walked past their lair, tainted now by the scent marks that the intruders had left earlier that day. Salehe eventually stopped on his tracks as they approached the acacias, and turned to Johari. "I was hoping you'd change your mind, after my warning... Are you really sure you want to do this?"

Johari nodded, and to show him that she was strong enough, she continued walking resolutely on her own towards the trees where Ishara had been cub-sitting earlier. But her legs failed her, once she came into view of what was once her beloved sister. Johari flopped on the grass, her jaw hanging open, unable to move or to speak.

Kamaria joined her side, trying her best to be strong for Johari, but she was at a loss for words as well. Kamaria simply stood there, motionless and in shock.

Johari regained the strength in her legs after a short moment, and she stood up shakily. She approached the scene of the crime slowly, and sniffed around. The over-powering smell of blood filled her nostrils, as did the scent of the two intruders, clear as day. It was impossible for her to smell anything else at this point.

Salehe stood by Johari's side and gave her a quick nuzzle, to remind her that she was not alone.

The lioness looked at him, finding it extremely difficult to translate her raging thoughts into words.

"This looks like... This isn't- This is no normal hunt, this was not just a predator trying to feed... Salehe, just look at this, they- They tortured her!" Johari stammered between sobs, while Salehe nodded silently, anger now visibly reflected in his usually calm and kind face.

He knew Ishara must have suffered terrible pain and humiliation before the rogues released her from her agony. Her wounds screamed gruesome stories that he was trying hard to block from his mind. If only he had returned earlier from doing his rounds, he thought, with incredible pain in his heart. All he could do now was to try and comfort Johari as much as possible. He took a deep breath and walked closer to her, inviting the lioness to burrow her face in his thick, dark mane, while nuzzling her gently, whispering kind and reassuring words.

Kamaria, having regained her composure, joined them as well, keeping a short, respectful distance. She closed her eyes while waiting for the lioness to calm down, not wanting to focus on the horrible scene displayed before her.

Once Johari had stopped crying, Kamaria walked closer to the two of them and said, "I'm completely sure it was the two rogues we've heard of, Ubaya and Kame. I heard they did the exact same thing to a lioness from the Nyaga Pride, when she wouldn't disclose where she had hidden the cubs..."

Johari sighed deeply and tried to dry her face with a paw. She then walked to what was left of Ishara's once beautiful face, and gently placed a paw on it, closing the dead lioness' jaw, which was hanging open as if frozen in an eternal scream. Johari gave her a quick nuzzle and whispered softly, "This is not over, sis... I won't let it end like this..."

"What would you like to do, Johari? Should we bring her to her final place of rest?" Salehe asked.

Johari looked up, her face now stained with her sister's blood. "She always wondered where the river would take her, if she were to follow its course. I say we take her there... The water will also wash the blood away, as well as the scent of the ones who did this..."

Salehe agreed with her. Between the three of them, they took Ishara's remains to the river and placed them in the water.

Johari watched in silence as the river carried Ishara away gently, slowly at first, until her mangled body finally disappeared in the depths of the troubled waters beyond.


Night had already fallen by the time the leaders of the Eyasi Pride went to meet with the rest of the lionesses. Salehe had gone to pick up Gasira and the cubs, while Kamaria went in search for the hunting party. Johari stayed behind by the trees, making sure to erase all blood trails as much as possible, by digging around and covering them with soil. She also placed new scent marks, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not get rid of the stranger's smell and and that of her sister's blood. She even washed her face when she was by the river, but it was as if the smell was deeply rooted inside her nose.

Johari worked really hard, and by the time the Pride congregated by the lair once again, the lioness had succeeded in concealing the evidence of what had happened earlier that day. She eventually returned to the lair, covered in dust and looking rather tired.

Salehe was busy replacing the intruders' marks with his own, while the lionesses approached Johari to offer their condolences, which she accepted silently, keeping her grief to herself.

Salehe and Kamaria had already broken the news to the cubs in the meantime. This was their first encounter with death, and they were all pretty shaken, especially Hadithi. The cub had tried to remain strong, but when he became fully aware that he would never see his mother again, the cub finally broke down in tears. He tried to hide it at first, but Adla was quick to notice her friend's turmoil, and she tried her best to comfort him and lick his tears away.

Although no one felt very hungry, the lions decided to start eating dinner. They knew they could not afford to waste the food they had hunted; they needed the energy to keep on going. So they reluctantly gathered around their catch and ate as silently as they could.

Johari was the only one who refused to eat anything at all, no matter how much her Pride-mates insisted. She had sniffed the food shortly at some point, but her stomach did a turn at the smell of the gazelle's fresh blood, and the lioness turned away quickly, looking repulsed.

Johari walked away while shaking her head, trying hard not to throw up on the spot. She sat down further away, taking deep breaths, hoping that the fresh air would calm her nausea.

She realized there was a thought in her head that kept bothering her, something that kept springing to her mind every minute: she should be the dead one. It had been her turn to stay behind in cub duty, not Ishara's. An immense feeling of guilt would flood her whenever she thought about having swapped places, and it made Johari extremely sad and angry with herself. She wanted nothing more than to turn back time, but since that option was impossible, she focused on her next strongest desire, to find those rogues and to do to them exactly what they had done to Ishara.

Johari knew that although she was strong and almost fully grown, right now she wouldn't stand a chance, not even against one single adult male. She was never taught how to fight properly, since that activity was mostly reserved for the male leader and his sons. The training that the females received was always oriented towards the hunt. They could defend themselves well while in a group, but a single lioness challenging a fully grown male was almost unheard of.

Johari stared distractedly at the Pride. The lionesses were already done eating and were grooming their faces quietly. She pondered her options for a short moment, and decided that she would ask Salehe to train her in combat. She stood up with the intention to go and talk to him about it, but a sudden movement caught her eye. It was Tisha, who was scratching herself madly by rolling on the grass, trying to relieve the endless itching on her back. Tisha was Kamaria's best and closest friend, but her incessant scratching drove Kamaria mad lately, so she preferred to keep her distance if she could.

Johari looked at Salehe, and then back at Tisha, hesitating for a moment. She reminded herself that she had made a promise to Ishara, and she would not back out on it now. Her conversation with Salehe would have to wait.

Unaware that Johari was approaching, Tisha continued to roll on the grass, groaning slightly, and sometimes letting out a sigh of pleasure once she had managed to scratch an offending spot. She had her eyes firmly shut, and became startled when she opened them again, only to see Johari standing over her.

Tisha gave her a little, embarrassed grin and apologized for her behaviour. "I know I look like a total idiot, but I just can't stand the itching sometimes..."

"Ishara had promised you a grooming session today, right?" Johari asked.

Tisha nodded as she sat up straight. "Yeah... She was always willing to help me. I'll really miss her..."

Johari sighed deeply. "I had agreed with her earlier today that I would groom you instead. So go ahead, lie down..."

Tisha perked up her ears, not able to conceal a smile of relief, but seeing that Johari's face was still moist and tear-stained, she shook her head instead. "Thank you... But I know you're most likely not in the mood for this right now... I understand."

Johari shook her head and insisted. "Don't worry about that. Just lie down, go on. It'll take my mind off things..."

Tisha hesitated for a short moment, but in the end she gave in and lay quietly on her belly, while Johari settled down close to her and began licking her shoulders and her back.

Tisha could not help but groan in relief, digging her claws into the ground as Johari's rough tongue helped calm her discomfort considerably.

"Your skin looks very irritated," Johari said between licks, noticing lots of balding, reddish patches with scabs, "It looks like you react to flea bites a lot worse than the rest of us... Where did you pick up all these bugs in the first place?"

Tisha looked thoughtful for a moment, as if recalling the day in question. She sighed and smiled to herself, and went on to say, "Dunno... I picked them up sometime around my season leading to Damisi..."

At the mention of Damisi's name, Johari stopped her grooming session for a short moment and looked at the cubs. Faraji and the girls were bundled by Kamaria's side, nursing, while Hadithi, old enough to eat meat only, lay down curled into a ball, his face hidden from view.

It all seemed so strange to her, knowing that the only reason these cubs were still alive, resting and eating like usual, was because of Ishara's sacrifice. The lioness resumed grooming Tisha, feeling a renewed desire to learn how to fight, so that she in turn can also defend her Pride-mates' lives. Only she wouldn't go quietly, she would fight to the death.

She got distracted from her thoughts when she saw little Adla was done nursing, and she was heading their way.

The cub sat nearby and stared at Tisha, who was clearly still enjoying Johari's helpful grooming.

"Do you need anything?" Johari asked her, stopping to rest for a moment.

Adla shook her head, looking up at her innocently. "I just came to see what's so special about your baths. She seems to really like them... Maybe you can give me a bath later?"

Tisha chuckled for a moment, blushing slightly. "I just itch a lot, and Johari's helping me with a really good scratch."

Adla examined Tisha's pelt, watching with curiosity the little horde of tiny insects walking in and out of view as they treaded between her fur.

"Do you like to eat monkeys, Tisha?" the cub asked out of the blue, looking thoughtful.

The lioness laughed slightly at the randomness of the question. "I've never eaten one, dear. Why do you ask?"

Adla shrugged. "Just because. Would you eat one?"

Tisha changed position slightly while Johari carried on grooming her left shoulder. "That depends, I suppose... I'd rather go for something more filling. Why? Did you eat one?"

"No!" she replied, laughing brightly, "But if you get to see a whole lotta monkeys, you won't hurt them or hunt them down?" Adla insisted.

Both Johari and Tisha looked at the cub, slightly confused at what might have sparked Adla's interest in primates.

Thinking that Adla might have made a new, unusual friend, Tisha reassuringly replied, "Nope. I promise you if I ever come across any monkeys, I'll let them be."

"Okay! That's good. See ya!" Adla replied, and walked away, back to Kamaria's side.

"What in the world was that all about? Had she already asked you about eating monkeys before?" Tisha wondered out loud.

"No... But knowing Adla, we'll find out soon enough. Hey... I'm getting a bit tired, I think today's events have caught up on me... Would you mind if I go lie down for a moment?" Johari asked, her head pounding much worse than it had done earlier that day.

"No, no, go ahead, you've helped a lot already. Thanks again, you really didn't have to..." Tisha said as she stood up and nuzzled Johari gratefully. The lioness then retreated to her resting spot after picking up Damisi, who had fallen asleep by Kamaria's side.

Johari looked around, only to see that Salehe was nowhere to be seen. He was probably patrolling the grounds once again, to make sure Ubaya and Kame were really gone.

The thorough grooming session from earlier had left her very thirsty, so she made her way to the lake. Once she had quenched her thirst, despite the deep sorrow she was experiencing, the lioness fell fast asleep within minutes of her head resting on the soft grass. She hoped to dream of her sister, but she slept so soundly that by the time she opened her eyes again, she was surprised to see that the sun had already risen, and with that a new day had begun.