Chapter 2. 'Daddy has returned.'

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'Daddy is not coming
Days and nights are passing
Cubs are spilling tears
As rivers flooded rears
And rogues are lurking.
On daddy they're stalking.'

Cubs rhyme in the Western Outlands

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When the two lionesses eventually arrived to the Priderock, it was late in the morning. Makali and Uru greeted a few young lionesses soaking up in the sun. They hugged with Makali, completely disregarding the younger sister.

'What is it? A boycott?' Uru asked anxiously.

'Yeah, act like stupid!' Kribi, answered. She was a tan-gold coated, well built lioness with a lighter fur on her paws. 'Ghafi realized that you were out of the home for the whole night and obviously took it out on us.'

'Neither first time, nor last, I suppose.' Uru answered acidly to cut the talk.

The sisters climbed up the rock and passed by near the elder, respectable lioness called Imani. She was the sister's wet nurse, friend and patroness after the death of their mother. She smiled towards them.

'I'd like to talk with you at the evening.' She whispered 'Now off you go. The chancellor's waiting.'

Eventually they arrived at the cave, where the pride usually slept.

'Greetings, Chancellor Ghafi. I brought Uru with me.' Makali said with regard to a middle-aged, stern lioness with a pastel yellow coating, which was lying at the entrance.

'Greetings. Ah, Uru. You eventually honored us with your presence.' She declared ironically. Ghafi was speaking with characteristic accent. (AN: French accent. She's an aristocat).

'You should be honored.' Uru replied angrily, looking at Ghafi with her eyes half-closed in the contempt 'I am the princess, the daughter of your lord'.

'Respect must be earned "mon chere" princesse ' Ghafi answered. 'And for now you are rather la petite infant who I have to care for'.

Uru wanted to say something, but Makali elbowed her secretly, so she just nodded stiffly.

'Could we go to the other girls, Chancellor' Makali asked.

'Of course, ma cherie.' Ghafi softened her tone when talking to older sister. Then she saw an incoming lioness.

' Is everything ready for the king's return?' she asked her.

The two young lionesses moved away hearing parts of talk.

'Yes, chancellor' the lioness confirmed. She was called Kumt'ii. 'I requested hornbills to pick up small flowers and throw petals around the king from air when he arrives.'

'Tres bien! King Mohatu loves the flowers so much! What about hunting party?...'

'"Respect must be earned"!' Uru whispered to her sister, imitating Ghafi's accent 'How has she earned her "respect"? Through the king's bed? And you elbowed me when I was about to say her this sad truth.'

'You've always told me that a good politician should speak diplomatically.' Makali said innocently 'I'm proud of you. You restrained yourself from telling her that she's a woman of easy virtue.'

'A whore? Oh yes, she deserves it so much. But we will win her in the other way.'

Makali sighted. She knew that Ghafi has her own business in pride and fights for her position, but rather with other elder lionesses. Should she participate in that conflict? Why?

'The problem is that Ghafi really isn't a very likable person. She has always treated us as an obstacle on her way to father.' Makali thought. 'I really have problems with being nice for her. And Uru says that I'm Miss Good-word-for-everybody.' Makali could easily recall lessons with Ghafi after the Hatia's death. The chancellor often made them feel that they weren't her children and in fact she is very noble to teach them something or help them, as if they weren't the full members of the pride and the king's daughters but some foundlings. She never said it or harmed them in any way, but her cold, reserved manners were a kind of a shock for the orphaned cubs.

She treated poor Imani like a trash, slandering her in front of the king and the sisters. Another shock came when Ghafi started limiting Imani's time with Uru and Makali, accusing the elder lioness of "spoiling" the cubs.

There was something else that disgusted Makali – Ghafi lacked a class. It might seem irrelevant, but it was the straw that broke the camel's back. She wanted the daughters to obey and respect her – but not because she earned this respect, but just because she's such a great person that they should have been happy to be allowed to stay with her and listen to her. It was so pathetic. She early recognized that the both sisters had some poetic talent so she asked them to make up lyrics for a royal choir, which later she presented as her own songs. She almost destroyed Uru's love to the poetry.

'Also pathetic.' Makali thought bitterly. 'It is the only word that could truly describe Ghafi. That's why she'll never be my friend or collaborator.''

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At the afternoon.

Hundreds of the pigeon–like white birds took off into a clear, azure sky, and flied around the Priderock like a small tornado. Hornbills started throwing white petals. Black sable antelopes formed a line, presenting their horns. The king Mohatu had returned.

The pride was waiting at the Priderock, organized in rows, with the most significant and noble ones at the right, in the front row. The king's daughters were first, then the chancellor Ghafi and her followers. At the end there were Imani with her son Elimu and her few friends. .

Uru gazed at her father when he was receiving salutes from the small representative battalion of hyenas. An hour earlier, when the pride was noisily and disorderly organizing into the rows, Imani came to them.

'I heard from a hornbill-messenger that Mohatu has a 'great idea' and is preparing something big. So stay calm, whatever will happen. Later, we will try to overcome the problem.' she whispered. 'I'm going on my place. Ghafi shouldn't see me talking to you now.'

Uru tried to invent what the father could be preparing. Exile for her? Arranged marriage? Presenting a new male heir who mysteriously appeared? While thinking, she tapped a random rhythm with her index claw. Makali heard it.

'Good cadence' she thought. They often entertained by making a small theatre shows or concerts for pride. Uru was quite good in thinking up song lyrics, and Makali sang them on her own or in a choir with her sister, although Uru's voice was much worse, a little bit too husky and uncertain when singing high-pitched tones.

'A new song?' Makali whispered.

Uru looked at her index claw.

'You meant my tapping? Yeah, I've got something new, but many lines are missing yet…'

'No talking.' Ghafi warned her.

King Mohatu climbed on the rock. He was a big, well-build, muscular lion with a dark brown mane with grayish tones and a pale beige coating. He looked sternly and eminently. He was shadowed by his guard and Ghafi's son, Wajinga.

'Greetings, my noble king' Ghafi exclaimed, and bowed down in a salute. So did the sisters.

'Greetings to my daughters, my court and my whole pride' Mohatu said with a noble, low voice.

'Salamu (A/N Salutes!)' The whole pride cried out in response. Ghafi gave a signal and the pride choir started singing in the march rhythm.

'Mfalme na aishi!' (A/N Long live the king)
'Kumsifu Mfalme!' (A/N Praise the king)
'King has just arrived
So let's cheer up.

'Mfalme na aishi!'
'Kumsifu Mfalme!
Let's dance for our king
Let's sing for our lord'

'Very well, very well' Mohatu appreciated the lions' choir.

He came to the Priderock promontory and started a speech.

'My beloved subjects. My mission was a success, but there is much labor ahead. We don't know what new times could bring us. It might be a peace and prosperity; it could be a drought, war or death. That is why we should never stop our efforts in work for the pride. Best wishes to you all!'

Mohatu stepped down and disappeared in the cave.

The celebrations have ended and lionesses slowly returned to their duties.

'What an explosion of hypocrisy' Uru commented the ceremony. 'Praise the king cause he's so kingly. Ghafi is using the whole pride to suck up to father.'

'We can't do much about that, can we?' Makali responded 'Unless I will be a queen.'

'And then you will kick her to the moon!' Uru laughed.

'Probably. Guess who is coming here?'.

Uru followed Makali's gaze only to see incoming Ghafi.

'The king is organizing a very important political meeting and wants to see you there forthwith.' The chancellor said. A new tone could be heard in her voice.

'A sympathetic tone?' Uru asked without trust as they headed to the den.

'Maybe she is going to change. I was nice to her all those years. Maybe it affected her…'

'Your sense of humor is impossible.' Uru chuckled 'Why you don't say such things like that when meeting with your friends. They would love that.'

'They are much more serious than you.'

'You're treating them much too serious.'

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The sisters noticed that two hyenas stepped on the Priderock.

One of them was very old, had a gray pelt with no spots and was so thin that her bones could be seen under her skin. Her chest probably didn't look much better, but it was covered by a leopard's skin. It was the great Matriarch Dhabba, ruler of the hyenas' clan which lived at the Pridelands.

The second one was a male called Hillary Yena, the commander of the Representative Battalion. He was enormous, bigger than any hyena sisters saw before (especially a male one, among hyenas females are usually a bit bigger). His muscular, but a bit plump body was covered with shorter and longer scars, he lacked a tail. He had a brownish fur, ac mane came into a small, funny bangs. A long, white ostrich's feather was braided into his mane, standing like a soldier at attention, and his back was also covered by a leopard's skin.

'Hillary!' Makali shouted happily. Hillary used to be the sisters' martial arts teacher (with much more effect for Uru than Makali. Makali always abhorred excessive violence).

Hyena waved towards them. The sisters came closer.

'Good afternoon.' Makali and Uru bowed her heads greeting the Matriarch.

The Matriarch answered with same bow.

'Nice to meet you. I'm always happy to see the children of king Mohatu.' She said gallantly.

'Especially that nice, golden one. The other one is somehow grumpy all the time and spoils the idyllic picture.' Hillary interfered into the talk and tipped the wink.

'Very funny, Hilly' Uru answered indifferently.

'Oh, Hilly, you look great.' Makali smiled and gave him a hug.

'No, Makali. He is great. Especially in terms of a size of his belly'

Hillary just nodded in confirmation. His appetite was well known along the Pridelands and he had no desire in denying that. Especially if the visited hosts remember to prepare something tasty for him.

'Mischievous as always' he chuckled.

'It's just a mercy.' Uru answered viciously 'By the way – a nice feather.'

'You saw it before, so don't act as a surprised. It's a symbol of my position as the commander of the representative battalion. A white colour symbolizes loyalty to the king.'

'It would look better at yours other end. At least you would have a tail.'

'I thought about it, but I suppose it could be misunderstood.' Hyena looked sadly at a stump of his tail.


They came into cave. Mohatu noticed Hillary and jumped to him. The king strongly hugged the hyena in greeting, elevating him into air in a royal grip as if the great hyena was just a big plush toy.

'I'm suffocating!' Hillary exclaimed.

'You'd better be!' Mohatu said angrily, releasing the murderous grip.' I had to spend two weeks without any of my friends! No you, no Ghafi, no Colonel Mengiste! Only because you had to stay here to do something stupid…'

'I had to look after my pregnant wife.' Hillary clarified with a polite voice.

Ghafi rubbed a place between her eyes. Her beloved, but delightfully stupid king forgot to greet the Matriarch, which was a severe insult. At least Hillary was intelligent enough to whisper to the king about it.

'Ah, I apologize so much!' The king exclaimed, bowing down elegantly.

The Matriarch looked pleased.

'Oh, that's nothing. In fact you look very cute together.' she answered.

'Sometimes when I meet my brothers and sisters in arms from civil war, I just can't help showing my joy. I spent almost all my early life on war and it's something that defined me.' Mohatu explained and showed the Matriarch a place to sit down.

'Beautiful leopard's skin.' Mohatu commented. 'But poor leopard.'

'He was really annoying guy that robbed our meat. And I needed something to keep my old bones warm. But when Hillary saw it, he couldn't help making the same.'

'I know. I'm so vain. And showy.' Hillary admitted with disarming frankness.

'Hillary, nobody let you speak. Give me your paw.' The Matriarch's voice was very firm.

Hillary rolled eyes, but gave her his paw. She bit it. It was an old tradition that the Matriarch disciplined her subjects by biting them. The matriarch was so old that she did it very gently so that she won't lose her teeth.

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After a few minutes everybody sat at their places. There was Mohatu, his daughters, the two aforementioned hyenas, an old shaman Babu and a one leopard, the representative of sthe maller cats (he looked with hatred at the hyenas). Mohatu started his speech.

'As we know, this world is a place of a constant turmoil and fight interspersed with short and unreliable moments of peace. Others are waiting for our frailty to strike.

That's why our ancestors decided that we simply cannot afford frailty. They built this kingdom expanding the boundaries, they received a pledge of allegiance from our greatest friends, the hyenas from the clan ruled by Mahima family.' Mohatu looked at the Matriarch. She nodded in appreciation.

'Thanks to that, they became real kings of Pridelands, not only kings of lions. Even if we're a young kingdom, we're a force that cannot be underestimated. But is it really permanent? I came to the Northern Pride for some important diplomacy. They're a bigger pride then us – 65 adult lions compared to our 35, not counting vassals of both sides. A great force that could destroy everybody. And then I saw it – their old king died and his four sons started a civil war. The pride has divided. Right now they're having a fierce war.

It made me realize something important. I realized that every balance is extremely fragile and can be so easily destroyed by the hatred and quarrels.' Mohatu looked serious and somehow sad. He furrowed his brows, concentrating on his next words. 'I want fix my relations with my pride and my friends. With my family… Especially with my family…' He sighted. 'Could you leave me for a while with my daughters?'

When everybody else left the cave, Mohatu addressed his younger child.

'Uru, I beg for your forgiveness. I should have never done what I did. I shouldn't have killed that rogue that… you loved… But… It was an accident… I haven't heard you shouting that it's him… And when he attacked me, I just…' Mohatu approached to Uru 'Would you ever forgive me?'

Uru looked at him with wide eyes. She would never expect something like that from her father. He was so unquestioning and self-confident all the time and now he just "begged for forgiveness"? He really changed?

Uru took a step backwards. She gazed into her father's eyes, trying to find falsity as he looked into her eyes…


AN: Read and Review.

AN1: Will Uru forgive her father? And what did really happen that feral night when Uru's boyfrend had died? If you want to know this, wait for next chapter, which will appear next week.

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