When I was a young boy

When I was a young boy

My father took me into the city

To see a marching band.

He said, "Son when you grow up

will you be the savior of the broken,

the beaten, and the damned?"

He said, "Will you defeat them?

Your demons, and all the nonbelievers,

the plans that they have made?"

Welcome to the Black Parade

"Hatari, we're gonna get in so much trouble," said Kria, fear obviously in her voice. None of them even pretended to be "nervous" anymore, they were all very, very scared.

"I know," said Hatari.

"We're gonna have to tell them something about Rayan," said Kria.

"I know."

"Oh, Hatari, we're gonna be in so much trouble."

"I know."

"Reen's gonna be so mad—"

"I KNOW!" Hatari yelled. "We all get it, Kria! Can't you just shut up like you usually do?! Of all the times you pick to talk—"

"I'm worried, Hatari."

"Kria, just shut up," said Sarana. "Gods, can't you just be quiet? We need to think of something to tell them, not be reminded of how bad we're going to get it."

"Couldn't we just tell them the truth?"

"Are you nuts?" all four of the other cubs yelled.

"Mommy always says it's better if you tell the truth. That you won't get punished so bad."

"They say that so you won't feel so bad about telling them!" said Atanya. "They'll still punish you!"

"But not as bad—"

"How do you know?" asked Hatari coldly.

"Well I—I just—Mommy said . . ."

"Mommy says a lot of things. And we all know how far your mother's word goes in this pride. So if you can't think of anything good, Kria, shut up."

Kria looked as if she was ready to cry. She didn't know what to do, she didn't know how Rayan was; the only thing she did know was that she was going to get into a lot of trouble. "Oh, don't start bawling," said Jibu.

"If—if you won't tell them I'll—I'll—"

"What?" asked Sarana. "Stutter at us?"

"I'll tell them!" Kria began to run toward the den.

"Get her!" yelled Hatari. The cubs began to scramble after her, and in just a few seconds Kria was pinned down on the ground.

"Get off me!" she yelled. "It hurts!"

Hatari, who was sitting on top of her and twisting one of her legs painfully backward, said, "We're not letting you go now."

"It hurts!" said Kria, tears streaming down her face. "Just stop it! Stop it!"

"We're not letting you go; you'll run away again," said Atanya. "You'll just get us in even more trouble."

"Just get off my leg!" screamed Kria. "Get off it! Get off it!"

"Hatari, maybe we should let go of her leg," said Sarana. Her two sisters didn't look quite as enthusiastic.

"She'll run away again!" protested Hatari.

"Get off it! Get off it! Get—"

"Hatari, I think she means it," said Sarana.

"And what're we going to do the next time she runs off?"

"Get off it! Get off it! Get off it! Get off—" There was a sudden crack, and Kria gasped, then let out a full-bodied scream. Hatari hurriedly got off and gasped as he saw Kria's leg at an angle it most certainly shouldn't have been at.

"Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods," said Jibu, plainly terrified. "We are gonna get it so bad."

"Get Dad!" said Hatari.

"What?" asked Atanya.

"Get—never mind, stay here, I'm going to get Dad!" Hatari ran off toward the den, his heart feeling ten times larger than normal. He hadn't meant to hurt her, he just wanted to make sure she didn't tell on them. She would have just made things so much worse. They could have gotten out of it all if she hadn't gone and done this. He had almost convinced himself that it was Kria's fault that they were where they were by the time he got to the den.

"Dad!" yelled Hatari as he ran into the den.

Gymara smiled as he looked up from his conversation with his mate, Adhima. "See, here he is right now. Hatari, what have I told you about being late?"

"Dad, you need to come here right now, there's something wrong with Kria!"

"What?"

"Dad, just come on, you need to get there now!"

"Alright, I'm coming." Gymara got up and walked out of the den after his son, going much slower than Hatari would have liked.

"Dad, come on, you have to hurry!"

"What is it?" asked Gymara, unconcerned. Kria probably had just cut herself or something of the like. Gymara remembered how he had once been bleeding for five minutes, and they all thought he was going to bleed to death.

"It's her leg; it's all—all—Dad, it's not right, come on!" Hatari didn't know how to explain it; all he knew was that it made his stomach flip-flop.

"What?" asked Gymara, hoping he wasn't hearing what he thought he was.

"Come on!"

Gymara trotted after his son, easily matching Hatari's fastest pace. It took several minutes to reach Kria and the others again. Kria rolled on the ground slightly, crying and whimpering. Gymara's eyes immediately saw the broken leg. "Gods damn it," he said quietly. He knelt down by Kria. "Kria, just listen to me. We'll get the shaman over here, and he'll get something that'll fix it. He'll have something that'll make the pain go away, okay?"

"It hurts, Gymara," whimpered Kria softly. "It hurts."

"Shh," he said. "Just don't move. Try to stop your rolling if you can. Just try not to move." Gymara looked at the other cubs. "How did this happen?" None of the cubs answered, though Sarana, Jibu, and Atanya's eyes all flicked to Hatari. Gymara turned to his son. "Son, I'm going to say this only one more time. How did this happen?"

"Dad, I—I . . ." Hatari's voice trailed off. He couldn't say it. He couldn't.

"Hatari," said Gymara sternly, with no trace of happiness in his voice at all.

"Dad, I . . . I didn't mean to . . ."

"You broke her leg?" Gymara asked, unable to believe it.

Hatari swallowed, then looked down at the ground and said in a barely audible voice, "Yes, sir."

Gymara stared at his son, mouth open slightly, but no words coming out. Gymara shut his mouth, then said quietly, "You are going to go to the den. You are going to go to your mother, and tell her to get the shaman. You are then going to go to Kaata. You are going to apologize for what you have done to Kria. You are going to sit at the den, and wait until the shaman comes back, and take him back here when arrives. In the meantime, you will think long and hard about what your punishment should be, because I guarantee it will be much, much worse than you think it should be. Go."

"But Dad, it was an accident—"

"I said go!" Hatari had never been roared at by Gymara. He found out that it was excellent motivation. He turned and ran back toward the den, then suddenly stopped as he heard "Hatari!" again. He turned around to see his father looking at him. "Wasn't Rayan with you?"

"Yes," said Hatari in a very small voice.

"Where—is—Rayan?" Hatari hesitated. "Now, Hatari!" roared Gymara.

"The Pits," said Hatari, his voice even quieter than before.

Gymara stared at Hatari in amazement, then suddenly swore in a way that no animal should around cubs. He looked back up at Hatari. "I told you to go!" he yelled. Hatari immediately began to run for the den again. Gymara stared at the ground. He had known Hatari would never do this; he was sure of it.

Worry about killing Hatari later. What about Rayan?

Gymara didn't even know where Reen was. He had conveniently cleared off to some place, not even bothering to tell anyone where. Gymara looked down at the three cubs next to Kria. "Listen to me," he said quietly. "I need you to be big girls and stay with Kria until that shaman comes. Just stay here."

"Where are you going?" asked Sarana.

"I have to go find Reen. Just be big girls and stay with Kria."

"Yes, sire," Atanya said obediently. Gymara took one last look at them and sprinted off into the savannah.

oOo

"Dad, I don't like this place."

"Neither do I, son. But it's the only way we can get to the temple," Lymo told his son Tiifu. The two leopards walked through the barren wasteland, Lymo wearing a necklace of red flowers.

"But Dad, not even King Reen comes out here."

"And for good reason. I've told him it's too dangerous. The acid is unpredictable at best. You never know when it will decide to come."

There was a sudden rumble, Lymo picked up his son hurriedly and jumped to his right, the acid spitting up out of the ground seconds later.

"Dad, I don't wanna be here," the little leopard cub protested.

"We have to maintain the temple, Tiifu. After I'm gone, you're going to be in charge. It's a much honored position."

"But Dad, I don't wanna come through the Pits. They scare me."

"They scare me, too, Tiifu," said Lymo with a smile.

"Really?"

"Yes. But I must maintain Rahimu's shrine," said Lymo. "We must show the gods that we thank them for all that they have given us."

"But they didn't ask us to come here, did they? Can't we just go home?"

"Tiifu, do you thank others when they give you things?"

"I—I try." The little cub sounded as if he was afraid of being punished for not using his manners all the time.

"The gods gave you more than anyone else could ever give you. They gave you life. And for this, we thank Rahimu. They gave us food, they gave us water, and they gave us a blessed land to live in. Don't you think we should thank them for that?"

"Yeah . . . But—unh!" Tiifu was suddenly picked up by his father again as he was swept out of the acid's path another time. He shuddered in fright.

"It's okay, son."

"Dad, don't we—pray to thank Rahimu?"

"Yes. We pray to thank Rahimu. But he has given us life, Tiifu," said Lymo. "We should thank him to no end for that. The temple that was made so long ago still stands to remind all of us what the gods have given us."

The little cub was silent, thinking over what he had been told. He saw the circle of stones around one large one, the shrine that his father had made the pilgrimage to multiple times. "Dad," Tiifu said, "no one's gonna see it way out here."

Tiifu looked up at his father, expecting to see a smile and receive an explanation. He didn't expect to see Lymo frowning. "I know, Tiifu. But making another temple is difficult work. I can't—do it alone."

"Why not get some other animals to help?" asked Tiifu. He stepped into the circle and found that he was stepping on not the hot earth of the Pits, but a cool stone. He looked down to see a large slab of rock underneath his feet.

"Just look around you, Tiifu. This is your first visit, and hopefully not your last. Just look. All of this was made for Rahimu. This temple has stood for many, many generations. So many animals worked to create this, all for the glory of Rahimu. Not all of them even worshipped Rahimu as a prime god; they merely helped us, as we helped them. Monuments to the gods were things that the kingdom was proud to have."

"Then wouldn't it be easy just to make another one?"

Lymo shook his head. "No, son. It's not the same anymore. Things have been forgotten, lost, replaced. There are very few animals that worship the gods as we do. So many of the shrines that were made have been either destroyed by nature or have just been forgotten . . ." Lymo's voice trailed off. He looked down at his son. "It is important that you remember your god, Tiifu. There is always hope, so long as there is even one that remembers who they owe everything."

Lymo turned to the rock in the center. He hung his head over it, the flower necklace falling off him. He swept the old, dead flowers out of the center, then carefully put the fresh ones in the center of the stone. He stepped back, then lowered his head in prayer, speaking quietly and quickly. Tiifu looked at his father, then bowed his head in imitation of his father, though he did not know what to say. He kept sneaking looks at his father as if that would help him hear the low muttering better.

Lymo finally raised his head, then looked around the shrine, walking around the rock in the center, staring at the circle of rocks around it. "Just look at it, Tiifu," he said. "Even after all these years, this still stands. In this barren waste, there is one place the acid doesn't reach." Lymo smiled. "Rahimu truly does smile on us." He looked down at his son. Despite the fact that Lymo knew he was perfectly safe there, Tiifu didn't seem to quite believe it. "Do you want to go home?"

"Yes, Dad," said Tiifu.

"Alright. I understand if it's a little scary. Come on." The two of them began to make their way back through the Pits.

"Dad?" asked Tiifu.

"Yes?"

"What if we did—you know—get another temple built?"

Lymo smiled. "That would be wonderful. But it would take years, even with enough animals. Finding the materials, finding a proper place to build it . . . It would be wonderful if we could do it, son. It's something that I would at least like to see started, if it did happen."

Lymo knew it was almost an impossibility. Most animals just didn't care about actively worshipping the gods anymore. The gods were far away to them, and there seemed to be nothing that the gods did to intervene in life. They paid lip service, but that was mostly it. The gods had never required much, but the animals now did almost nothing.

Lymo was so immersed in his own thoughts of immorality that he didn't even notice an acid spurt until it had gone off, Tiifu yelling in fear. "It's okay, son," said Lymo. "It's over there, it won't hurt you." Yes, Tiifu had a long way to go before he was comfortable out here.

Lymo kept close watch on his son from then on. Tiifu nearly shook with fear of the Pits. Despite the fact that he knew he was safe with his father, he was still afraid. Finally Tiifu said, "Dad?"

"I'm taking you home as quickly as I can, son."

"Dad, what's that?"

Lymo looked in the direction Tiifu was staring. There was a small lump on the flat ground. "My soul," said Lymo quietly. "Just look away, Tiifu."

"What is it?"

"It's—it's a poor cub, Tiifu."

"He isn't—dead, is he?"

"I'm afraid so, Tiifu. Just try not to think about it. There's nothing we can do."

"Dad, I want to go home," said Tiifu, his voice more worried than ever.

"I know, son. I'm going as quickly as possible." Lymo couldn't help but stare at the cub. It was a good distance away. Lymo was thankful for that; Tiifu didn't have to see the horrible burns where the acid had eaten away at the cub's flesh for what undoubtedly had been days. He did not want to see that. So many animals had wandered into the Pits, only to be devoured by the acid slowly. It was a horrible, painful death. Lymo almost wanted the shaking he saw in the cub to be real, so he knew the cub wouldn't have been submitted to that kind of death.

Or was the shaking real?

"Tiifu, stop," said Lymo.

"Dad, I want to go home."

"Does that cub look like it's moving?"

"I—I don't know. . . . Dad, where are you going? Dad!"

"Tiifu, follow me. You're not safe over there alone."

Tiifu followed his father. "Dad, you said it was dead. Can we go home?"

Lymo ignored his son's request for once. As he got closer to the cub, he could see that, sure enough, it was shaking. Lymo hurried toward the cub, and let out a gasp as he saw that it was a lion cub, and a male. The cub's face was disfigured; it was impossible to distinguish if it was Hatari or Rayan. Acid had seared the cub's sides, singing the fur on the edges of the burn and burning into the flesh in the center.

"Tiifu, it's one of the royal cubs," breathed Lymo. "And he's alive."

"He's alive?"

"Yes. But he's not awake." Lymo turned to look at Tiifu. "I want you to follow me very closely, Tiifu. We have to get him out of here as quickly as possible. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," said Tiifu, slight uncertainty in his voice.

"Then follow me." Lymo nipped the cub in the scruff of the neck where there were no burns, and lifted him. He began to carry him out of the Pits, Tiifu following.

oOo

"Reen!" yelled Gymara. "Reen!" Of all the times to leave, Reen had to have picked now. "Reen!" There was no where else that Gymara could think of. He had been to Unir's memorial, the one place he had expected Reen to be. He didn't know where else Reen could be. Well, that wasn't true. Reen could be anywhere in the kingdom, doing any number of things. The two brothers ran their own halves of the kingdom almost completely separate from each other. For all Gymara knew, Reen could be meeting with someone right now.

"Reen!"

The den. That was one place he hadn't checked. Yes, Reen might go there; he might want to be home to see Rayan when he got back from playing. Gymara headed for the den, utterly exhausted and unable to do any more than walk. Lions weren't meant to run for this long.

"Reen!" yelled Gymara.

He went through the kingdom, yelling out Reen's name, making for the den. He finally came within sight of the den. "Reen!" he bellowed. No one came out for a few moments, then Reen appeared in the mouth of the den. "Reen!" said Gymara.

Reen hurried over to Gymara. "What is it?" he asked.

"Rayan—he's in the Pits," said Gymara.

"What?" exclaimed Reen, obviously worried.

"It's not his fault, it's Hatari's, but you can punish him later. Reen, we have to get Rayan out of there."

Reen suddenly started sprinting off into the savannah.

"Hey! Where're you going? They're the other way!" yelled Gymara.

"Come on!" yelled Reen. Gymara started to sprint after him, his body begging him to stop. Unfortunately, Reen wasn't tiring. He ran with a purpose. Gymara began to slow down to a trot.

Finally, the two ended up in a place that Gymara recognized as a leopard enclave. Reen stopped inside it, Gymara putting on a bit more speed to catch up the distance he had lost. "Where's Lymo?" Reen asked a startled leopardess.

"He's out at the temple right now, sire," she said, staring at the panting lion in front of her with slight alarm. "Why?"

"He's back, Haja," called another leopardess. "He's—oh, my word," she said as she saw Reen. "Sire, I didn't know they'd already sent for you."

"About what?" asked Reen.

"About your son," the leopardess said. "Surely you know—"

"What about Rayan?" asked Reen, moving over to the leopardess quickly, despite his weariness. "Is he safe?"

"He's—follow me, sire."

"Is he safe?" insisted Reen.

"He'll live, sire." Gymara watched as his brother was taken away by the lioness. He half lied down, half collapsed to the ground.

"And I'll just wait here, shall I?" he muttered. He looked over at the leopardess Haja. "What's happened?"

"I know just as little as you, sire."

oOo

Reen followed the leopardess to where he knew Lymo stayed. "What happened?" he asked the leopardess anxiously.

"Sire, it's best if Lymo tells you. I'm not quite sure. He's the one who found Rayan. Please, sire, I don't know anything," she said, heading off another question.

Reen followed worriedly as the leopardess led him to Lymo, horrible images flashing through his mind. What had happened to Rayan? "He'll live," the leopardess had said. Pictures of what that could possibly mean raged uncontrollably through his mind. He imagined legs missing, bones broken, his back crushed . . .

"Ilya, there you are," Reen heard Lymo say, unable to see the leopard yet. "Did you send word to—Sire! Come quickly. It's best if you see for yourself."

"What happened?" demanded Reen, abandoning the leopardess and latching himself onto Lymo.

"Your son was injured when I found him in the Pits."

"Oh, gods, it's true!" said Reen, anguish in his voice. "I'd hoped it hadn't—Gymara was wrong—oh, gods!"

"Sire, listen to me," said Lymo, putting a paw on Reen's shoulder to stop him. "Sire."

"What?" asked Reen, obviously not quite comprehending anything.

"Sire, listen to me. Listen. Your son will live. He will be perfectly fine. There should be no side effects from the burns, but—"

"Burns? Gods—"

"Sire, listen! Focus! Please, Reen, just listen! Rayan will be fine. I've done everything I can to help him. There is no doubt in my mind that he'll grow up to be a fine lion like his father. But you have to understand that he is not in a position to be worried right now. He's awake now, and he's in a lot of pain."

"What happened?"

"He was burned in the Pits. By acid."

"Oh gods—"

"Reen, listen. He will be perfectly fine, but the side effects will last. You're going to be shocked, Reen. But you have to remember that he is in no position to explain himself. Don't ask him to talk, don't ask him to move. Just remember he'll be fine." Lymo looked at Reen worriedly, seeing the lion in front of him being desperately worried and anxious. "Do you understand me, Reen?"

"Rayan—Rayan will be fine."

"Yes, that's right, Rayan will be fine. And what else?" asked Lymo gently. Reen didn't answer. "Don't ask him to talk or move. You have to be strong for him, sire." Lymo smiled, trying to ease Reen's mind. "He'll be fine, sire. Do you want to see him now, or do you want a little more time?"

"Now," said Reen, almost immediately. "I want to see him now."

"Alright. He's just around the corner over there, by the pond. I'll send in a leopardess if you need anything." Lymo saw Reen walk around the corner, not knowing what was quite going through the king's mind. Lymo turned to see Ilya, the leopardess that had brought Reen to him, standing not too far from him.

"I assume that I'm the leopardess you spoke of?" she asked with a smile.

Lymo's smile faltered. "Just make sure he doesn't do anything rash. Please." He kissed her gently on the cheek, and headed off for the savannah.

"Where are you going?"

"The shaman. Just watch the king."

oOo

Reen walked around the corner, not knowing what to expect. He saw the little form next to the pool that could have only been his son. He went closer, then drew in a gasp. Rayan's head rose up, hearing the noise, letting Reen get a full look.

This wasn't his son. His son had such a wonderful face, a smiling face, a happy face. That face wasn't there anymore. He was no longer recognizable as Rayan. The acid had gnawed at his face, disfiguring it. Fur had been charred, flesh had been torn through. The acid had reacted badly with Rayan's skin, making it bubbly in places.

He will be perfectly fine, but the side effects will last.

"Oh, gods," said Reen, horrified.

"Da—" Rayan shut his mouth. It hurt to talk, the act stretching his face, moving the burnt areas.

"Don't talk, Rayan," said a voice behind Reen. Reen turned around to see Ilya walking up behind him. "You know Lymo said not to talk."

Rayan nodded slowly. He looked up at his father mutely, asking for some kind of reassurance.

"It'll be okay, Rayan. It'll be just fine," said Reen. Rayan nodded again.

"Lymo went to get the shaman, sire," said Ilya. "He should have something to help speed up the healing. Numb the pain, too."

Reen nodded. He looked back at Rayan. "Just rest, son. It'll be better soon."

oOo

It took Rayan several days to heal to the point where he could talk with permission. Like all cubs, though, he realized that he didn't have to have permission to talk. Though he was able to bend the rule on speaking, he wasn't able to break the rule for moving at all. The den was his permanent home, the outside world only being there for toilet and water breaks. Meat had to be torn off carcasses to be brought to the den for him to eat.

He wasn't the only one receiving the sick treatment, though. Kria stayed with him, being unable to move at all, being carried to and from the grass where she took care of business, and being supported in the act. Her leg had been tied tightly in a splint made from thin vines and a piece of bark. She was, in a way, worse off than Rayan. Her recovery would be slow, the leg needing more time to heal than Rayan's burns.

The two of them were kept in a part of the den reserved specially for illness. It was off to the side of the main den, and had only a small hole leading to it from the main den. It had access to the outside, so that the sick could receive visitors, but almost no one from the den could see them if they didn't want to be seen.

Rayan certainly wasn't in a position to be seen.

The den was big enough for only two lionesses. Kaata stayed with her daughter and Rayan. Reen was thankful for that. He didn't want to have to ask a lioness to take care of Rayan while he took care of the kingdom. Kaata was already practically a mother to Rayan, having already nursed him and cared for him if both Reen and Gymara were gone.

Reen would go to visit his son and, most times, see him sleeping against Kaata's side. He would smile at her as she looked up at him, and would receive her smile back. They'd whisper about how the two were doing, and he would sleep outside the den, as there wasn't quite enough room for him inside. Kaata cared so well for Rayan. Almost as well, Reen felt, as Unir would have.

It was enough to make him wonder how such a tender animal could have done such horrible things. But was in the past. She had more than made up for it; he would have never allowed Rayan near her otherwise. But her parents, of all tragedies . . .

The shaman became a daily visitor to the sick den. The only thing the cheetah had to offer Rayan was a salve for the burns, made out of a soothing plant that had been ground up and added to water. She gave painkillers to both Rayan and Kria, which usually happened to be sedatives. The cheetah knew how tedious lying still while being sick could be, especially as a cub. Sleeping was preferred to long hours of boredom.

The other cubs involved weren't given sedatives. They were given groundings. Hatari knew he was in trouble when his father had yelled at him, but he hadn't realized just how much trouble until he found himself in the den with Rayan and Kria, himself and the other cubs not being allowed to speak at all. Anything they did that wasn't allowed was punished.

The shaman finally came one day and gave Rayan a thorough inspection. The burns had stopped hurting too badly, and she said that he should be well enough to walk and talk. For the other cubs, Rayan's freedom meant theirs, too. It had been an unspoken agreement by the adults that as soon as Rayan could walk, they might as well let the other cubs have their freedom so he could have someone to play with. If he wanted to play with them.

The night of the day that Rayan was given a clean bill of health, Reen decided to take him out to the kingdom. "Where're we going, Dad?" asked Rayan.

"I want to talk to you, Rayan. I need to tell you something that I should have—well, not a long time ago, but before this, at least."

"What is it, Dad?"

"Just wait, son. Just let me think it over."

"Think what over?"

Reen chuckled. Yes, his son really was healed. "Just wait."

The two of them walked to a place that Reen had often enjoyed in his youth, his paws taking him there unconsciously. He had spent many times here with Unir. It was the first place that he had shared himself fully with her, in mind, soul, and body. It had been their first for so many other things, too. Their first kiss, their first "I love you," their first (and last) engagement, the first news that she was pregnant. He smiled as he saw the little pond on top of the small hill. It had been their little hideaway, their escape from the world. It wasn't exactly private, but it had seemed so with her.

"Rayan," said Reen, "look into the water."

Rayan placed his head over the water, then drew in a gasp as he saw the reflection. "Dad, my—my face—Dad, is that me?"

"Yes, Rayan. That's what you look like now. The acid burned your face, along with your hind legs." Reen skipped the part where the shaman had mentioned that there was the possibility of being sterile. "You are scarred, Rayan."

"But Dad—why? Why did it happen?"

"The acid must have hit you in the face, son. I'm sorry—"

"But why did it happen to me?" Rayan looked away from the pool, not wanting to see his face any more. "They'll think I'm a freak, Dad."

"Rayan, no one is to blame for this—"

"Then why did it happen? It's not fair."

"Rayan—son—what happened to you was a horrible, horrible thing. Granted, you could have taken precautions, like not going to the Pits at all. But you are not going to be punished for your foolishness. What happened to you is more than enough punishment. Those scars are never going to go away, Rayan. You are never going to be normal. And it is not your fault. From what I understand, you saved Sarana."

"But why did I have to end up like this? I did something nice, and look at me! You always said to do the right thing, and it hurt so bad!"

"Rayan, when you do the right thing, it isn't often the easiest thing. It's something that may not even have an obvious reward. But what you did saved Sarana from having your fate. And you will be a living testimony for others of your bravery."

"But Dad, I look like—like a monster!"

"Rayan . . . you do look—bad. But you should not try to find someone else to blame. You see, we were created, all of us, by the gods. They know what will happen, what will become of each of us. And most of all, they care for us. The gods do not throw someone around as they please because they think it's fun. They will always look after you, but they want to be respected. They gave you everything, and they would like to receive tribute."

"So they did this to me because I did something wrong?" asked Rayan, his mind flitting through all of the things he shouldn't have done.

"No, Rayan. Most of all, you must not blame the gods for what happens to you. They are there, but they can only guide. You must choose your actions. They will always give an animal a chance to redeem itself in their eyes. They love you Rayan; they love all of us. When an animal has turned away from them, they weep for that animal."

"What's weep?"

"They cry, son."

"But why would they cry?"

"You see, Rayan, that's how much they love you. They are, in a way, your parents. You are their cub. And they want you to love them, and they want your love so much, and love you so much, that if you turn away from them, they will consider it a tragedy. A horrible, horrible thing."

"But Dad, that doesn't make sense. I don't even know them. And you're saying they did this to me? And they love me?"

"No, Rayan. They are not to blame. We are to blame for our own actions. They give us the chance to choose what we do. Our consequences are our own."

"So all the bad things that happen . . . they're all our fault?"

"Yes, Rayan. That is a way of putting it. But they are not necessarily your fault. Other animals do bad things. But we must never forget that we should do good, in spite of others' bad. We will be rewarded by the gods when we die."

"But Dad . . . why don't they do something?"

"What do you mean?"

"If they love us so much, then why do they let bad things happen?"

"The gods are powerful, son. They could undoubtedly stop every bad thing from happening. But the gods give us freedom of choice. They know that we will suffer, and they give us the knowledge that we will be rewarded to help ease our pain. You will be made whole again, Rayan. Not in this life, but the next. You acted for Sarana, and that was the right thing. The gods will reward you for that."

"But Dad, I don't want this! I'm ugly! That's all I am! I'm an ugly monster!"

"Rayan, I can't deny that you do not have the best looks for a lion. But you are a very, very long way from being a monster. You are a kind, gentle young cub that I love very, very much. And the gods see you in the same way."

Rayan let his head go back over the pond, looking at his reflection. "But Dad, I don't wanna be this way."

"I can't change how you look, son. I would if I could. But I can't. You can only take refuge in knowing what you did was right."

Rayan looked down at the pond, Reen seeing his frown. "Dad, I don't wanna be this way."

"Let me tell you a story, son," said Reen, lying down next to Rayan.

"Okay," said Rayan, his tone still not happy. He lied down next to his father. "What's it about?"

"It's about a little lion cub. And the cub wandered off into the savannah, and got very, very lost."

"Kaata already told me this, Dad."

"Did she?"

"The cub nearly got eaten, but his mom saved him, so we better not go out on our own, because our mom might not be there to help us," said Rayan in a disinterested voice.

"This is a different story. The cub got lost, and he nearly got eaten twice. But his mother didn't come to save him. You see, he was in the same position that you are, Rayan. His mother died while giving birth to him. All he had was his father, who he had wandered off from."

"That's stupid."

"Stupid though he may have been, he still wandered off. And he nearly was eaten twice, by a hyena and a cheetah. And he was very, very scared and alone. And then he came upon a leopard. He tried to run, but the leopard scooped him up in a paw, and took him home in his mouth. The leopard took care of the cub, and told him that he took care of him because it was what his god would have wanted him to do. The next day, the leopard took the cub home, and his father was very, very happy to see his cub was unharmed."

"I'll bet he still punished him."

"Oh, he was angry with his cub for running off. But he didn't punish his son too badly. He gave him a very firm talking-to, and then gave him a spanking while he was at it."

"See? I told you he wasn't that happy."

"But the little cub went back to the leopard the very next day. He wanted to know more about his god. And the leopard began to teach him all he could about Rahimu, the god of the leopards. And the cub came back every day, and he learned all that he could, not quite knowing what he had learned in full. But suddenly, the visits stopped."

"Why?"

"Because the leopard, you see, had been told by the king to stop telling the cub. The cub's father didn't want him learning about Rahimu. He wanted his son to only know the god of lions, Aiheu. He didn't realize that the gods are all one group, and animals are free to choose which to follow.

"But it was too dangerous for the cub to go back to the leopard. The leopard told the cub to never come back, or else the king would have him executed. So the cub stayed away from the leopard, but he also remembered the leopard's warning: to never let the other lions know what he had taught the cub. So the cub had to keep his beliefs to himself, and could never tell the others. He lived a very lonely life, because no one would ever get to know him fully."

"That's a sad story," said Rayan. "Why'd you tell me that?"

"I thought you would want to hear it. Because, you see, the cub grew up. And the cub found a friend who he could share his faith in Rahimu with, and was deeply in love with her. And they had a son, and named him Rayan."

"That cub was you?"

"Yes, son. I believe in Rahimu. I worship him as my god. I give my thanks to him every day, and I praise him for all that he has done, and pray for what he might give me. But the rest of the lions worship Aiheu. They don't know that I love Rahimu as my god. And they can't know. I have to hide my love for my god, because it is considered to not be right."

"But Dad, you're king!"

"And I do not have enough power for that. Religion is one of the topics that is not discussed, and it is because of how careful you must be with it. Animals believe their beliefs very strongly. Religion is argued over, not talked about."

"But Dad, I don't understand. Why not?"

"It is difficult to explain, son. Every animal believes in different gods. But the gods never wanted them to argue over which god to follow. Aiheu wanted to be followed, and wanted Rahimu to be as well, and Roh'kash, and Fela, and all of the other gods. But animals fight over which one deserves to be followed. They all gave us life, and they all should be honored."

"But why do animals fight then?"

"I don't know, Rayan."

"You don't know?"

"No. I'm not sure anyone knows why. But I do know that I do not want you to fight, Rayan. You have not chosen a god to follow, and that may be the best thing. To worship all of them, not one of them. But you will have the power to do something very special, Rayan."

"What, Dad?"

"I have a dream, Rayan. Of what we can do for this kingdom. Of how it could be a place that all animals could believe what they wanted. Of tolerance, and sharing. Where all animals shared their food, shared their den, and shared equally. There would be equality, and there would be no one who was higher. A community that shared everything, and no animal was better than the other."

"But Dad, you're king. Aren't you better?"

"In a way. I have more power. But that is not what I want. I want every animal to have equal power."

"So . . . everyone will be king?"

Reen smiled at his son. "That is a way of thinking about it. But I can't make this happen."

"Why not?"

"Because Sanctuary is a very, very big place. And I'm just one lion, even if I am king. I can't make the kingdom do a certain thing. This dream of mine will happen slowly, over years. I will not live to see it. But you may, Rayan, or you may not. But I want to ask you to help me with it. I want you to help me make this kingdom equal, where we can all share and live happily."

"Yeah, Dad. I'll help!"

"I don't think you quite understand what you'll be doing."

"I'll help you, Dad. I promise."

Reen smiled. He pulled his son close in a hug. "Your mother would have been proud of you."

"Dad, that hurts!"

Reen hurriedly let go of his son. "I'm sorry." He smiled at Rayan. Rayan looked up at him, then grinned, quickly stopping out of pain. "It'll get better, son," said Reen. "I promise."

"I believe you, Dad."