VI. Not Now, Not Today
Even the greatest dose of enthusiasm can't deal with most basic formal issues.
Kunga couldn't enter Pridelands officially and they both knew that. If Ahadi had even slightest suspicions about that unwelcome guest that would surely start the avalanche Uru always wanted to avoid. So they quickly settled that Kunga should stay in the border zone – Windy Hills were great as a cover – and the queen would visit her love, as often as it was possible.
The day they met, they were too excited and emotionally shocked even to talk about any specified topic. They just went to western eastern part of kingdom, sometimes running and laughing like cubs, where Uru left rogue in one of Windy Hills dens. She promised to be another day and if some reason made her not to, she assured she would be in two days. Kunga just nodded, not asking too much. On the goodbye he kissed lioness, what she greeted with simple smile and no sign of her old doubts. Wanderer didn't know what was happening with him, but he didn't care. The only thing he did care was that Uru loved him and after he made sure about that, he could wait even a year, as he knew she was to come.
"Sweet dreams, Kunga." Said the queen, leaving him on the hill.
"They will be sweet, you highness." Replied the rogue.
Uru was returning to Priderock with light steps. Even her leg, still aching a bit, was no longer a problem. She reached home when last sun rays hid behind the horizon. She noticed some rush in cave and soon saw Ona and Jani running to her.
"Ma'am, where have you been?" Asked lioness. "We were so scared."
"Were you?" Smiled Uru airily. "I was out even shorter than a day. The rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated." And she laughed, just couldn't hold the joy he had inside. Two huntresses seemed not to share that mood.
"Are you all right?" Asked Jani. "Should we call Rafiki?"
"I'm fine, perfectly fine…" Stared Uru.
"Girls, leave the queen alone." Sounded another voice. It was Zari. "She said it's all right, so I guess it is." Two lionesses went away and sandyfurred came closer to her friend. "Tell me, it is really all right?"
"As I said." Replied the queen. "Why are you all so suspicious in time where there is nothing to be afraid of."
"We are inborn pessimists." Replied Zari, walking with Uru up the path to the cave.
She was observing carefully the queen and with each step had worse and worse thoughts. Uru wasn't that merry since long time, since… "Is it possible that he returned?" Asked herself sandyfurred. "If that's true… whole 'fun' is open again."
Meanwhile Uru entered main chamber and nodded in greeting to hunting team. Then came to Ahadi and Mufasa, lying on royal bedding. The king tried not to show any emotions, but after noticing that his mate hadn't returned on dusk, he felt really scared. He had some thoughts that something could happened to her but even more her feared that she simply didn't want to go back and she decided to spent her time without mate. In mind of Ahadi no suspicion about meeting someone else sprouted. He just felt that Uru had enough of him. He sighed with relief, seeing her back.
Mufasa couldn't hide his emotions so well and when his mother came to him, he burst in cry, hugging to her. Uru licked her son and stroked him, until he got quieter, meanwhile realising how much fuss caused her long walk. He understood that her meetings with Kunga required some cover.
"Oh, Muffy, it's all right. Nothing happened, my dear." Whispered the queen.
"Mom, I thought that… something bad happened." Sobbed cub. "That you won't come back."
"Oh, you silly, I am here." Said monerchess, sensing few surprised stares pointed with her. Ahadi, Zari and few other lionesses looked on her. "I just needed a walk, as Rafiki said." Added, trying to find some better explanation. However nothing came to her mind. "I must work on that." She added in thoughts.
"We were worried." Threw Ahadi with some reproach.
"You expect me to apologise in front of whole pride?" Asked Uru with hissing whisper. But then her lips tuned to a bit embarrassed smile. She let Mufasa loose and came closer to her mate. "I know, I'm sorry…" In a stroke of genius, she said. "Please, don't tell Rafiki, but I couldn't resist. I had some hunting today…"
"We will talk about later." Replied Ahadi. In his language it meant 'Ok, we don't need get back to it.'
So Uru left him there and came to the other part of cave, where Kivuli lied with her cub – Sakia and Taka, left under her care for that day. The queen bended down to her child, gently nuzzling him with her nose. Prince opened his eyes (barely, as he was in age that activity still required some effort) and tried to focus his stare on mother. He failed, but still he smiled, sensing motherly smell. Uru took him in her jaws and went back to royal bedding.
Ahadi looked on that a bit confused, because his mate used to sleep with Taka in a different place. But he just couldn't protest – not in front of whole pride – as his second son was placed next to Mufasa. Seeing that the older of brothers lost a bit of his freshly fixed mood and looked on mother with a tone of disappointment. He didn't like to sleep with brother in one place. Meanwhile Ahadi fought a initial confusion and asked his mate, whispering to her ear.
"What are you doing? You didn't sleep with him here recently."
"Is that so strange the family is together?" She asked.
In her voice the king sensed some unexpected energy and strength. Uru was sure of her right and was ready to argue with Ahadi. No, not argue, because she seemed to win any quarrel she would got into. She just became back a wilful lioness with whim Ahadi mated. The king sighed and laid down on the brush.
"Good night, my dears." Said Uru and laid as well, nestling Taka to her side.
She also had beautiful dreams.
\/\/\/
Uru discovered some talents that she never suspected to have. She turned out to be perfect in manipulating and guiding the others to the place she wanted them to go. She tried to ensure her spare time for meeting with Kunga in the most cheeky way – she asked Mufasa to go with her on a walk. She knew that her older son was already settled with father, on kingship lessons. If earlier Mufasa simply enjoyed his time with father, since birth of Taka, he started to attend all teaching almost desperately, showing he was special - first-born, future king – in every possible way. It was not about future rule or any motif like that. Mufasa just tried to be good son, if not to mother (who, since birth of Taka, seemed to be far away), at least to his father. So being sure he will decline, she offered him a trip.
Then she convinced Kivuli to once again take care about all cubs. Zari found that want a bit strange, but Uru promised if she returned from her walk earlier, she would help darkfurred out. The queen despised to lie, however making others believe in false things, using only logically true sentences was not the same category. Uru learned to enjoy it.
And that way she managed to send her pride on hunting, send her mate and older son on a patrol, while she left Taka in cave under protection of Kivuli. After that she had free paw. She quickly set off east and with every step she felt lighter and lighter and if even she sensed some problems in home, the closer she was to Kunga, these issues seemed to be less important.
"State you business, wanderer. What brings you to our kingdom?" Asked Uru with smile, seeing the greymaned, waiting for her on a hill. He made a courtesy bow and licked her front-right paw.
"It's the queen, mostly." Replied jokingly. "Songs about her beauty reach the farthest plains of Africa."
"Actually I don't care about PR, since I got my target." She relied and kissed him. Then hugged him and stay nestled to his side for long while. "Kunga… When you were away… Never mind. Now it all will be better."
"My dear… but what happened?" He asked.
"Don't talk about it. The point is that you are here."
That day they spent simply lying on in the grass of Windy Hills, nested to each other's side. They didn't talk too much, at least about Uru. After Kunga made sure that she was healthy (save for aching leg, that gave them a pretext to meet) and her cub born without serious problem, he let it go. The queen simply didn't want to talk about.
"But tell me one thing…" He said finally.
"Kunga, Taka is not your son." Replied Uru.
"I know that." Said greymaned a bit confused. "He couldn't be, as we have never…"
"But he could have been." Explained lioness. "Just… please, don't make me regret about something already happened."
"I won't…" Assured her Kunga. "And I'm sure that Taka…" His voice shivered a bit, pronouncing that name. He was curious, why it was chosen, but he restrained his curiosity. "…is a wonderful cub. I regret I can't see him."
"You would be an excellent father for him." Said Uru quietly, but he heard that.
Along with others informations, usually given involuntary by Uru, it made Kunga anxious. But he decide to gather some data at his own. He had suspicions about his love's problems… domestic problems, but in the same time he realised that he could seriously exaggerate, fuelled by his bias against Ahadi. He wasn't to hasty to give any judgement… especially that some judgement could drive him to steps much too radical. "Any, especially crazy decision should be heavily considered." He repeated in mind and simply enjoyed Uru's presence.
Among the little words they did exchange was a brief description of queen's situation connected with her cover. Logical mind like Kunga's quickly understood that they had to be careful. He praised Uru's wits and thought himself about the future. The result of that didn't fully satisfied him.
"In a long run it's almost sure that someone would notice." He said. "Not Ahadi, but one of lionesses. I think it would be much, much easier if we have… an ally. Someone who help us and in the critical situation could provide the perfect excuse."
"What do you mean?" Asked Uru.
"A lioness of your pride." Explained rogue. "One who could say that you were with her gathering herbs, walking or taking care about cubs. And in case if I was discovered… well, she would claim that I wanted to mate with her and that was a reason for a conspiracy."
"You are the wisest lion I ever saw." Admitted Uru with smile. But that expression died on her lips. She knew only one lioness capable of doing that, but asking her about such a favour was extremely hard. "But… I can trust only Zari. Not that other lionesses would tell Ahadi, but I need not just only an ally, but fried that could do anything. But there are reasons I can't ask her."
"Why is that?" Kunga was a bit lost.
"She… loves Ahadi." Explained Uru. "In a way I admire. She is perfectly loyal to him as a subject… and perfectly loyal to me as a friend. She never even tried to get to him closer than it is approved. Even that since some time I wouldn't make her any problems… and I even wouldn't care." She said, stroking Kunga's mane. "But still, she never allowed herself for such liberty… and I think she won't let me for that."
"Try." Said Kunga. "She is your best friend. It's just a matter of time when she notice that something changed…"
"Yes." Nodded Uru. "My happiness couldn't be covered, at least to her. I will speak with her… but it would take a time."
"Now we have plenty of time, haven't we?" Asked greymaned. "I'm not going anyway. If you don't drive me off, I will be here forever."
Uru knew that, but still she smiled, hearing another soothing sentence.
\/\/\/
Of course it was a matter of time, before Zari noticed. Actually she noticed already on the day when Kunga arrived, but for long time she wasn't sure about source of her friend's great mood. She despised spying others, yet she was a huntress, so tracking her preys was her natural activity. It happened that mysterious rogue become her prey.
Carefully not to attract Ahadi's attention, she made few recons to the eastern part of the kingdom, where she observed Uru was going. She found tracks of male lion that surely won't belonged to Ahadi (they were significantly smaller). Then she discovered some leftovers and according to dental examination, she made sure that Uru was eating with that trespasser. She never spied on her friend – the queen simply came to her trail, as she was tracking. At least she repeated that often.
After Zari established the basic facts she started to think what to do with it. That was ten times worse part of her quest. Not that lioness wasn't intelligent, but because she was so smart, she knew how many carefulness required dealing with that crisis. When she decided to solve that problem by direct interventions few months earlier, she barely stopped the catastrophe. Wiser after that experience, she knew that more of consideration wouldn't hurt.
And it actually helped, or at least allowed Uru to help he. One evening the queen came to her friend and willingly said about all. Well, maybe not at once, not fully willingly and not about all, but first step was done. Zari found Uru at the waterhole, as she went to get a drink. Monarchess apparently waited for her.
"Hi, Uru." Said Zari confused. "Beautiful night, isn't it?"
"Indeed." Agreed the queen. "But still, it's more important how we spend a night. And with whom."
"Excuse me?" Asked sandyfurred.
"Zari, I must talk with you. You are my friend."
"I already feel it going to be hard talk." Murmured lioness. "But go on, I'm listening."
She expected that Uru could eventually tell her all, but the way it was done surprised her. The queen just sat down next to her friend, looked in the starlit sky for a while, took a deeper breath and then she said simply.
"Kunga is here."
"Yeah…" Replied Zari after a moment, when she accepted that fact. "I somehow knew it, seeing you last days."
"I love him."
"You have a mate."
"That's fact too." Agreed Uru. Then added with emotional voice. "Listen, it's up to you now. You can go to Ahadi and tell him. And we will be back in the same place we were four months ago, but worse."
"And if we let the thing hidden, we are when we were five months ago, but much, much worse."
"I'm not leaving Ahadi!" Snorted Uru. "I just want to have some life on my own."
"You have!" Replied Zari with harsh voice. "Whatever you feel, you have no right do it to Ahadi."
"And he has not right to do it to me." Replied Uru with crying voice, showing a scar on her nape.
Zari recoiled in surprise and shock. She saw that cut of her friend, but she assumed it was a hunting accident. She never linked erratic Ahadi behaviour with some unspoken complains of the queen. "Stars!" She thought. "I was blind… my feelings made me blind for what the king was doing!" She gently licked queen's scar.
"It doesn't hurt." Replied Uru. "Actually it never was a physical pain… But the awareness that creature that should protect you, hurts you is worse than anything you could imagine."
"I didn't know…" Whispered Zari. Then she repeated louder. "I didn't know! I am your friend and I don't know… Uru, forgive me!" They hugged and stayed in an embrace for a long moment.
"All right, I understand." Said the queen, stepping aside of her. "I know you have a special relation with your king and few things might slipped out of your eyes… Don't talk about it anymore."
"But… what will you do with that?" Asked shocked Zari. Then she saw eyes of her friend. "Right, you couldn't do anything. You must do anything to make Ahadi accept Taka… and any additional crisis will make it worse…"
"I will stand anything is needed to keep my family, my pride and my kingdom in piece." Said Uru decisively. "I am the queen after all… but I'm not almighty. I have my weaknesses and needs. All I ask you, to help me deal with these and let me find my strength. My strength is a lion named Kunga."
"What should I do?" She asked.
\/\/\/
They started it very soon – next day namely.
Cubs stayed with Ona, while the queen announced she needed go to shamans. Zari volunteered to assist her. Of course they never made it to the Tree of Life, but went directly to Windy Hills. Kunga was waiting and in the very first impulse, he thought that something was wrong, after he saw Zari. But then understood that Uru simply put their plan in motion even earlier that he expected. He came do to hill's foot to greet his guests.
"Good day, my queen." He said carefully. But she came to him and kissed him, apparently not worrying with presence of lioness nearby.
"Good day, my love." She replied.
"We know each other already…" Said the rogue, looking on Zari.
"Yes, but I guess not in that role. Mine and your." Said sandyfurred.
Kunga initially thought that it was some kind of threat, or at least a show of hostility, but then Zari smiled. All three burst in laughter and laughed for a long while. Finally sandyfurred stopped and asked with serious voice.
"All right, but tell me details. What is the story?"
"I like your straightforwardness." Said the queen. "Zari, meet your lover, Kunga."
"Talk about straightforwardness…" Murmured sandyfurred and smiled.
"I know it might be embarrassing for you… as it is for us, but we decided it is the best way to keep the cover and make some kind of assurance." Explained Kunga. "The story that you might partially reveal to other lioness and in case of emergency to the king is simple: We are in love, but you want to keep it in secret. We meet here and the queen provide the cover for us."
"Why I can't ask king for allow me to have a cub with you?" Asked Zari, looking for any logical flaw.
"You don't want to have a cub, at least not now." Replied the rogue. "You prefer to stay the best huntress of the pride and pregnancy would rule you out, at least for a time being. You are also afraid and our current affair could be not welcomed by the king."
"I understand." Nodded sandyfurred. "How Uru helps us?"
"You use the necessity of caring of her and taking her to shaman as a cover for meetings with me." He explained. "Basically we are so close to the truth that our lie is easy to keep."
"Good plan." Nodded sandyfurred. "I hope you won't mind, if I don't fully emphasise with the role."
"I wouldn't let you." Smiled Uru.
"All right, I'm in." Said Zari. Then she went closer to the rogue and whispered to his ear. "I'm far from judging it as a good deed. I simply trust my friend." Then she looked on Uru. "So I'm leaving you here and going to Rafiki. Taking some herbs won't hurt anybody and we will have a physical evidence at least one of us was where she should."
She set off north-west to the Tree of Life, just two kilometres from there. As she had been talking with Uru, even later, listening to Kunga, she had no doubts. But with every step away from Windy Hills questions grew in her mind. She knew she was acting in bad way, but previous day analysis proved that was the lesser of two evils. Then she wasn't so sure about that.
"Maybe I should have let her go then?" Asked herself. "We would be all happy… Many rules would be broken, but hell! Now we are breaking the same rules. And Ahadi… my king!" She sighed in her mind. "I want to help you, but the way you treat Uru doesn't help me at all. I would give my life to you… but show me the way and guarantee you won't waste it."
A minor issue was to make sure that shamans wouldn't tell a thing. Only Zari came to the tree and that fact could be recorded. But fortunately for her the herbs were given by Rastarian, who was blind to the point he wasn't sure how many guest he had.
\/\/\/
It worked perfectly for a day, a week, two weeks. Of course Uru didn't spend all days with Kunga. One of out two or three – they both understood the main rules of conspiracy: every routine means death. They succeeded to start no suspicions among the pride. However that did among themselves. Kunga noticed the scar quickly, but he also thought that was a hunting accident. But when another cut was found on queen's fur, he came to very serious conclusions.
"What?" Asked Uru, lying on the bank of Windy Stream.
Kunga was lying next to her, licking her neck and ears. Just for the record, we should indicate that such caresses were actually the only they performed. Since the night when greymaned went away, some line was drawn and they never crossed it. But still that seemed to exceed their needs.
"What 'what'?" Asked the rogue in spite he knew what was the issue.
"Be careful, that one is fresh." Replied the queen, as his tongue again touched the cut on her forehead.
That was a warm, sunny day, but after Uru returned with her thought to moment from the previous evening, for her air become cold and wet. She involuntary shivered and that simply couldn't be missed by Kunga. Rogue stopped his caress, laid down next to his love and looked into her eyes. He asked with a serious voice.
"Uru, tell me, what happened."
"No, that's nothing." She said, but as we already noticed, she despised lying. "Well… it just a scratch. Doesn't hurt anymore."
"But how it happened… or how it was made?" Asked Kunga. She understood he knew.
"Please, don't talk about it…"
"Listen." Interrupted her rogue. "I can't let it go, as I see you have a problem. Isn't your problems mine?"
"Stars forbid!" Replied Uru, trying to sound jokingly. "If you knew anything about cubs…"
"I am serious. It's Ahadi?" She was silent for a while, but then nodded. "Is that happened for the first time?" She shook her head. "Why haven't you told me?"
"There are thing you can't help… in the way you want." She said. "But you do help me. now."
"But you can't just stand it in silence!" Yelled Kunga. "You are the queen! You can and should discipline your mate!"
"That's not so easy." She said. "I'm fighting not only for a good mate for me… as you know that he is not my real mate. You are… But I'm fighting for a good king of my kingdom and good father for my cubs. In case of Taka, that seems to be hopeless struggle."
She had to tell him everything, since the day he left. The rogue listened in silence, just stroking and kissing his love when her voice shivered with cry. They finished about hour later and he knew it meant new troubles, but in the same time confessions brought Uru even closer to him.
"Who knows about that?" Asked Kunga.
"Only Zari, of course." Replied Uru. "If Ahadi strikes me in front of pride, that would be a step too far and he tries to repress himself. But all the pride sees how he treats Taka."
"And you can't simply…"
"As long as I hope he could accept Taka, I can't risk the open confrontation."
"Damn it!" Gasped Kunga.
"Please, don't think about it, my love." She whispered. "Not now, not today. Maybe… the future will bring a better day. And if not, let's focus on such beautiful today."
"It is beautiful, indeed." Nodded Kunga.
But in the same moment he thought about something obvious. Hard and crazy, but perhaps necessary. He remembered the rule: Rogue can't mate with queen – he had to either made her rogue as well or become a king himself. As few months earlier he was focused on the first part of that sentence, then he recalled that second. And in spite for discarding it once, he embraced the idea. Previously he had much of scruples – killing Uru's mate, father of her cubs. But that was no longer in his concern, as he saw those scars. His love suffered because of Ahadi and that was granting him to use any mean required.
Lionesses would accept the change, maybe even welcome it gladly. The problem was Uru herself and her cubs, Mufasa especially. But she and Taka… If she understood that life of her younger son was in danger because of Ahadi, she would agree for his plan. And the king didn't have to be killed… just removed, driven away. However, Kunga had nothing against killing the bastard that hurt his love.
\/\/\/
Most likely there was not supernatural link between their minds, but Zari thought about the same in almost the same moment. She was gathering herbs for shamans and her stare stopped on red flowers of kiliahi, a plant used in healing wounds and abrasions. She thought about wounds and abrasions. She thought about Uru. She thought about Ahadi. She thought about Kunga. Then she thought about wounds and abrasion again.
And then she realised it was simply not fair, because the Stars burdened her with duties and issues exceeding her abilities, most likely exceeding abilities of any living lion. She wanted to cry.
\/\/\/
Meanwhile Ahadi was returning to the cave. Mufasa was walking just next to him, happy about another interesting day he spent with father. But good mood of year old cub was broken, when he noticed Taka, sleeping at the side of Sarabi and Sakia, at Kivuli's bedding. Mufasa instinctively stepped closer to father, touching his paw.
"What's wrong, my son?" Asked the king.
"No, nothing." Replied the prince. "Just… I was thinking… if I was meant to be king since the very beginning… and each kingdom has just one king… So why Taka is… here?" He put it in awkward way, making that sentence sound much more serious and menacing that he wanted it to sound. To his surprise, Ahadi replied in very similar tone, being perfectly aware of that.
"To be honest, my son: I have no idea." Said the king of Pridelands, looking on his second child with hateful stare.
