Chapter 4

A look into Thembi's younger years

"Kitok, I would like to talk to you later... Tonight, maybe?" young Thembi said.

Kitok smiled. "Talk to me, huh?" she said with her melodious voice. Looking straight at the prince, she added, "And... what do you want to talk about?"

Thembi looked at her fixedly, prisoner of the magic of her beautiful eyes.

"I can't tell you right now," he said, looking around to check that no one else was listening.

Kitok smiled again and tilted her head with curiosity. "Hmm, too much mystery... Can't you just tell me a little something?"

Thembi shook his head. "It's a surprise."

"Ooooh..." She jumped from one side to another enthusiastically. "You know how I love surprises!"

Thembi didn't stop looking at her for an instant. He chuckled slightly.

Kitok stopped jumping around. "What are you laughing at?" she asked, smiling.

"You look just like a cub that has gotten double portion of meat for dinner, jumping here and there..." the lion answered, grinning at her.

She approached Thembi, getting so near, that she made Thembi shudder. Kitok smiled and whispered in his ear, "But I'm not a cub any more, you know."

The lioness turned around, and after looking coyly back at him over her shoulder, she walked away.

Thembi, fascinated, just watched Kitok walking away, but before she went too far, the lion shouted at her, "If you want to know what the surprise is, I'll be waiting for you at the water hole!"

The lioness shook her tail twice in reply, and disappeared in the distance.

Thembi sighed deeply and let himself fall down to the ground with a loud thud, feeling content. He didn't notice that his father was approaching.

"Everything all right, son?" King Haraka asked, sitting next to Thembi.

Thembi looked up a bit startled, but upon seeing the noble face of his father, the young lion sat up straight and nuzzled him.

"Dad, I have talked to Kitok..." Thembi said, sounding a bit nervous and excited.

"I'm glad, my son. Now I see why you can't wipe that smile off your face," Haraka said understandingly. "What did she say?"

Thembi sighed. "Well, I really haven't told her anything yet, but we're going to meet tonight at the water hole. She sounded excited, though..."

Haraka smiled, and started grooming his son's new growing mane. "You must look good, cub.", Haraka said.

Thembi walked away a few steps. "Come on, I am not a cub any more, dad!"

Haraka smiled. "I know, son, but I just can't get used to seeing you like this, an adult lion... Ah, I feel like I'm getting old, and you'll soon take my place."

Thembi approached his father quickly. "No, dad, don't say that... You will live for many years!"

Haraka looked at the sky sadly and sighed, as if some weight were upon him, bothering him.

Seeing that it was beginning to get dark, the King said, "Go on, Thembi. If you are having a date tonight, you'd better look good. Go and wash that face of yours, because it is still visible that you've just eaten."

Thembi grinned, and after nuzzling his father once more, the young lion walked away. He picked a comfortable soft spot on the grass, and lied down to groom himself, thinking of his upcoming date with Kitok.

Haraka smiled to himself and walked away in the opposite direction.

A few moments later, the lioness Karanga happened to walk by, and she spotted Thembi grooming himself. She looked at him quietly for a moment. Noticing that he had missed a spot on his cheek, the lioness approached him.

"Hey, do you need help?"

Thembi glanced at her. "No, thanks, I am almost done," he replied curtly.

Karanga looked nervous from one side to another, wishing to start a conversation with Thembi, but not sure what to talk about.

"So... Did you eat well?" she asked, sitting slowly by his side.

"Mmm-hhm. It was delicious." He looked up and looked at her. "You're a very good huntress, by the way. I was watching while you and the others went hunting this morning."

She felt the blood rushing to her head. "Really? Do you think so?"

Thembi nodded and carried on cleaning himself.

She looked at the horizon, trying to hide her excitement from him. "He had been watching me..." she thought.

Thembi noticed that she was nervous, and he realized that he was making the same mistake again, giving false hope to Karanga.

He stood up and started walking away. "Well, see you around."

"Oh, are you leaving so soon?" Karanga asked, trying hard to sound casual and hide her disappointment.

"Yeah, I still have some things to do."

The lioness stood up and caught up with him. "Thembi..."

"Yes?" he replied.

"I was thinking... I was planning to go for a walk tonight. It'll be full moon... Would you like to go with me?" she asked rather quickly. It had took her a lot of courage to ask him out.

Thembi looked away, and, hoping not to hurt Karanga too much, he finally admitted, "I'm sorry, Karanga, but I already have a date with Kitok tonight."

"Oh..." she said, "With Kitok. That's OK, perhaps some other time?" she asked, obviously saddened.

"Perhaps," the lion said. Trying to ignore the agitation of her pride-mate, he walked away, leaving Karanga lost in her thoughts.

The lioness had hoped that he would choose her as his queen, but her hopes were being crushed now, seeing how he spent more and more time with Kitok lately these days. Shedding a few tears, Karanga told herself, "I am glad that at least Kitok will be happy, because she also likes him very much..."

The lioness returned to Pride Rock walking slowly, head down. There she was greeted by her mother.

"Karanga, where were you?", Kuuliza asked.

Not able to control herself any longer, Karanga broke down in sobs and nuzzled her mother's neck. "Mom, Thembi wants Kitok!" she said between sobs.

Kuuliza remained silent while she stroked her daughter's back with one paw. She closed her eyes firmly, suffering along with her daughter, although it had always been obvious that Thembi showed great preference for Kitok.
Once that Karanga had calmed down, mother and daughter went for a walk, to talk for a while and clear their minds.

"Kitok!" Thembi exclaimed startled, as the lioness sneaked up on him by the water hole. She looked beautiful under the moonlight. In the meantime Kitok also admired the beginnings of Thembi's black mane, now shiny and silvery because of the moonlight's reflection. She approached the future king and sat down beside him. Thembi was feeling nervous, she was the only lioness that could stir him up like that.

"So what was the surprise you were going to give me, Thembi?"

"Well, Kitok, it's that you... Well, I wanted to ask... Would you..." He had practised his lines for this moment a thousand times before, but now that the moment had actually arrived, nerves were getting the best of him.

"Would I what?" she asked smiling, without being able to hide her enthusiasm.

"Would you like to be the new queen of the Pride Lands?" Thembi asked, smiling nervously.

"Oh, Thembi..."

"What's wrong? You don't want to be-"

"Of course I want to! Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!" she licked Thembi's cheeks fondly.

She looked straight at Thembi's eyes and asked, "Thembi, do you love me?"

"Of course I do, Kitok, more than life itself," he answered, without looking away for an instant.

"And do you really want me to be the queen that will rule next to you? Your wife?" she said, nuzzling him fondly with her nose.

"My wife, the mother of my cubs..." he replied, closing his eyes and enjoying her displays of affection.

"And you, Kitok, do you love me as much as I love you?"

She looked into his eyes. "You know I have always loved you, and I will love you till the day I leave this world..."

They spent the rest of the night together, discussing their future plans as a couple, and swearing to each other that they would stay together forever.