Authors note- A very short chapter in which a shocking realization occurs. Sarabi means 'mirror image ' in Swahili , FYI.~
I looked at her uncertainly, amber meeting emerald in an almost apprehensive stare. She shifted her paws, but still engaged in the conversation.
"Your brother, what do you think of him?"
I didn't quite know what to say. "He is my brother, and I care for him even if we aren't ranked with the same title."
She cocked her head slightly. "Do you love him?"
"He is my kin, of course I love him, even if he can be a bit arrogant or childish at times."
To my surprise, she snorted loudly and rubbed her head against her dusty paws. "You're not kidding! To think a future king would know how to groom him, or even appreciate others doing it for him!
So that's why he looked so nice today. "Does he give any lionesses a big goofy grin when he wakes them up accidentally?"
"I wouldn't say he wakes them up accidentally. I think he purposely tries to trip over them, the great oaf!" she blurted out, then covering her mouth in case anyone other than us had head her insulting the prince. "Sorry."
I think that was the first time I actually smiled wholeheartedly.
"It seems we have much in common already, dear Sarabi." I said in my most impressive voice.
Sarabi still grinned unwaveringly, sitting down with an elegant demeanor under the shade of a partially naked tree. She waited for me to say the next line.
"So, who is your sister? I've never seen any other Prideland royalty besides, well, my family."
Sarabi sighed dramatically and slumped down into her paws. "My sister is the most … pure lioness anywhere. Her pelt, at least. We're not exactly littermates because she was born a year after me, in the North Pride. You see there, I would never fit in. Only the most feminine looking lionesses were even considered as a potential mate." She looked at her coat, almost neglectfully. "As she is the most desirable there, she was chosen to marry Mufasa someday, and unite the two prides for political and territorial reasons."
At that moment, I realized that our stories were almost exactly alike; rejected by everyone around us because of our physical traits. And that wasn't our fault. We are just the creations of our own kind. It's both ironic and idiotic at the same time.
I didn't feel sorry for her, not one bit. I felt at peace next to her, staring at my mirror image. My Sarabi.
I guess we had both dozed off in the midst of the Savannah heat, when you could practically see the heat waves bouncing off the ground. The shade of the nude tree was sufficient enough so that you could actually catch some shut eye and not be baked to a crisp, and later be eaten by the vultures.
In the heat, no normal animal, no matter how thirsty or hungry he was would dare to walk across the plains. Mufasa wasn't normal. In fact, I'm not even sure if he was a real animal.
"Hey look, its Taka and Bee under a tree, s-n-o-o-z-i-n-g!"
"Shut up" Sarabi and I both murmured, still loud enough for him to hear. "It's so damn hot, I can smell my fur burning."
I thought I could smell it too. Never mind, it was just Mufasa.
Sarabi rolled over onto her stomach and turned her head daintily toward Mufasa, arching her eyebrows ever so high. "And what would his majesty like at this hour?"
Muffy gave her the you're-almost-as-weird-as-Taka look, and sat down next to me. "What have you guys been doing?"
"What do you think we were doing, Muffy?" I asked impatiently. Drawing scribbles in the dirt with my left claw.
He shrugged and hunched over into his beefy legs. "Dad is busy, so I thought we could still play tag with the other cubs. You know… actually have some fun."
This time, both Sarabi and I arched our eyebrows so high that they practically reached our ears. "Right, because I'm sure everyone wants to play tag right now."
Mufasa smiled brightly and sat up straighter, so quickly that his little mane bobbed in delight. "That's just what I was thinking, Bee!"
How thick could a lion be?
Sarabi started chuckling softly while hiding her grin with a tan paw. "Mufasa, why don't you just relax for a bit? I'm sure your father wouldn't mind if you hung out with us. You could tell us about your day."
I rolled my eyes, expecting for Muffy to start rambling on about all of the fantastic things that father had shown him. Instead he asked: "Actually, I'd like to know what you guys did today."
"I slept. I met Sarabi. Then I slept again."
Mufasa sat there unimpressed, his red locks of hair blowing in the heat. He looked like a disapproving ostrich with red feathers. His little eyes looked curiosly at me ,pondering infinitely while his dodo-brain worked hard to even conjure a thought.
"Actually, he stumbled off of the rock king Ahadi had left him on, and then while he was lying there on his head, I tripped over him, thus engaging us in an awkward conversation that ended up going quite well." Sarabi intervened with a sneer.
I shot her a glare. "Thank you for the elaboration, Bee."
The third wheel was meanwhile, chuckling. I'm sure he wouldn't be if he was the one abandoned this morning. "Sorry, Taka."
I grumbled, sinking into my stomach and lying lazily on my stomach.
"So what did you do this morning, your highness?" Bee asked him half distracted by a silvery green bug that was marching across the cracked ground; an explorer on a useless quest.
Mufasa inhaled deeply and began "Well, I first went off with dad to go meet the crocs or alligators, whatever they are, and we told them that they had to stop surprising the zebras that drank there. They weren't too happy about that, of course, and they started to snap at dad, but he gave them a big swipe in the face and they left us alone. And then we went to go visit Zuzu's little hatchlings. There are five of them in all, and they all look exactly like her. Except for the blue one. He talks a lot, even for a newborn…
At this point, I blocked out Mufasa's voice and shut my eyes.
"Then we finally raced up the mountain and…
I was sinking deeper into a lazy slumber.
I guess we had both dozed off in the midst of the Savannah heat, when you could practically see the heat waves bouncing off the ground. The shade of the nude tree was sufficient enough so that you could actually catch some shut eye and not be baked to a crisp, and later be eaten by the vultures.
In the heat, no normal animal, no matter how thirsty or hungry he was would dare to walk across the plains. Mufasa wasn't normal. In fact, I'm not even sure if he was a real animal.
"Hey look, its Taka and Bee under a tree, s-n-o-o-z-i-n-g!"
"Shut up" Sarabi and I both murmured, still loud enough for him to hear. "It's so damn hot, I can smell my fur burning."
I thought I could smell it too. Never mind, it was just Mufasa.
Sarabi rolled over onto her stomach and turned her head daintily toward Mufasa, arching her eyebrows ever so high. "And what would his majesty like at this hour?"
Muffy gave her the you're-almost-as-weird-as-Taka look, and sat down next to me. "What have you guys been doing?"
"What do you think we were doing, Muffy?" I asked impatiently. Drawing scribbles in the dirt with my left claw.
He shrugged and hunched over into his beefy legs. "Dad is busy, so I thought we could still play tag with the other cubs. You know… actually have some fun."
This time, both Sarabi and I arched our eyebrows so high that they practically reached our ears. "Right, because I'm sure everyone wants to play tag right now."
Mufasa smiled brightly and sat up straighter, so quickly that his little mane bobbed in delight. "That's just what I was thinking, Bee!"
How thick could a lion be?
Sarabi started chuckling softly while hiding her grin with a tan paw. "Mufasa, why don't you just relax for a bit? I'm sure your father wouldn't mind if you hung out with us. You could tell us about your day."
I rolled my eyes, expecting for Muffy to start rambling on about all of the fantastic things that father had shown him. Instead he asked: "Actually, I'd like to know what you guys did today."
"I slept. I met Sarabi. Then I slept again."
Mufasa sat there unimpressed, his red locks of hair blowing in the heat. He looked like a disapproving ostrich with red feathers. His little eyes looked curiosly at me ,pondering infinitely while his dodo-brain worked hard to even conjure a thought.
"Actually, he stumbled off of the rock king Ahadi had left him on, and then while he was lying there on his head, I tripped over him, thus engaging us in an awkward conversation that ended up going quite well." Sarabi intervened with a sneer.
I shot her a glare. "Thank you for the elaboration, Bee."
The third wheel was meanwhile, chuckling. I'm sure he wouldn't be if he was the one abandoned this morning. "Sorry, Taka."
I grumbled, sinking into my stomach and lying lazily on my stomach.
"So what did you do this morning, your highness?" Bee asked him half distracted by a silvery green bug that was marching across the cracked ground; an explorer on a useless quest.
Mufasa inhaled deeply and began "Well, I first went off with dad to go meet the crocs or alligators, whatever they are, and we told them that they had to stop surprising the zebras that drank there. They weren't too happy about that, of course, and they started to snap at dad, but he gave them a big swipe in the face and they left us alone. And then we went to go visit Zuzu's little hatchlings. There are five of them in all, and they all look exactly like her. Except for the blue one. He talks a lot, even for a newborn…
At this point, I blocked out Mufasa's voice and shut my eyes.
"Then we finally raced up the mountain and…
I was sinking deeper into a lazy slumber.
"Which brought us to the conversation about who Taka is going to marry… but dad says he can marry whoever he wants to ,as long as he agrees with it."
My eyes shot open. That hyena! I was nothing to him, yet he had complete authorization over who I was to spend the rest of my life with! In that case, it's going to be someone that Mufasa will never have, or love. Probably some ugly sluggish lioness that is conceded and bratty.
Sarabi sat quietly for a while, breathing with each passing breeze. She finally answered in a blank voice "fun".
She knew that she was nothing but a toy anymore.
