The Lion King V:
Man Comes to the Pride Lands
Chapter 10
It was almost 8:00 p.m. and Bahari stood alone in the hall of the visitor center, holding a cell phone to his ear. He stared solemnly at the African savannah outside the window, the beauty of the starry sky not registering in his grief-stricken eyes. "Hi Chenille," he sighed.
Charlie almost came around the corner but stopped when she heard Bahari's voice. Realizing he was on the phone, she almost left to give him some privacy.
"It's Bahari – leaving another message. What does this one make? Twenty voicemails?"
Twenty voicemails? Charlie thought. Curiosity made her stay and listen.
"So, yeah, just giving you the same update; Daniel is still missing – out in the wilderness – for a week now…" Bahari felt his throat thicken. "I'm still waiting for you to call back – and honestly, I'm quite disgusted with you right now. Whatever, you clearly don't give a rat's ass. I mean why should you, heartless witch that you are?"
Charlie blanched a little.
Bahari suppressed a sob. "I actually fooled myself into thinking that you cared enough about Daniel to pick up the phone when you found out that he's…" Bahari sighed. "If you grow a heart, you can reach me at…" He stopped and laughed humorlessly. "You know what, if you're listening to this message, you've probably listened to the other messages so you already know the number." He hung up.
Charlie stood wide-eyed for a moment and very slowly turned around to leave. Her boot squeaked on the floor.
"Someone there?" Bahari asked.
Charlie sighed and stepped around the corner. "Um, Mr. Musa…" she stuttered.
Bahari looked at Charlie with tear-filled eyes. He was roughly fifty years old, had dark brown skin, black hair that was buzzed short, and dark-brown eyes that looked almost black. He wore jeans, a white dress shirt, and brown hiking boots. He was very good-looking and the resemblance between him and Daniel was striking. "How much of that did you hear?" he asked in a deep, lightly accented voice.
"Um, not much," Charlie said.
Bahari chuckled. "In other words, everything." He gestured with his cell phone. "My ex-wife," he explained.
"Right, the heartless witch," Charlie said nervously.
"I shouldn't have said that," Bahari conceded.
"Nah, it's fine. I've called my ex-husband a whole lot worse." She glanced along the hall uneasily. "So, how long have you been in the divorcé club?"
"Eleven years."
Charlie thought for a moment. "So Daniel would have been seven at the time?"
Bahari nodded, staring at the floor.
"And she gave you full custody?"
"She decided that she didn't want to be in the picture." He shrugged. "She sends Daniel postcards sometimes – and gave me her phone number so I could call her if there was an emergency – theoretically, that is. We haven't seen or heard from her in years."
"Daniel seems like a pretty well-adjusted kid, all things considered."
"He tends to bottle things up."
Charlie frowned. "Are we talking about the same kid? The Daniel I met wore his heart on his sleeve when it came to the animals."
Bahari laughed, his eyes welling some more. "He would – when it comes to animals. People, not so much."
Charlie sighed and leaned up against the wall next to Bahari. "Listen, the rangers are…" She sighed and shook her head. "It's been over a week so…"
"They're calling off the search," Bahari ventured emotionlessly.
Charlie nodded. "I'm sorry."
Bahari covered his face and started weeping.
"Mr. Musa, I'm so sorr…"
"Charlie!" Adia shouted as she stormed down the hall.
Bahari and Charlie jumped slightly in surprise. "God, Adia!" Charlie snapped. "You scared the bejesus out of us!"
"Did you hear about the search parties?" Adia demanded furiously. "They're calling them off!"
"Yes," Charlie sighed, "I heard and was just informing Mr. Musa." She gestured to Bahari.
Adia glanced at Daniel's father and sighed. "Sorry."
"I take it you just got the news," Charlie ventured.
Adia nodded. "They can't do this," she muttered angrily.
"Unfortunately, yes they can and there's not much we can do to convince the higher-ups otherwise."
"F-ck the higher-ups," Adia muttered. "Bruce and Daniel are out there somewhere and I'm gonna find them."
"What can you do?" Bahari asked sadly. "Your nature preserve is fifteen-hundred square miles. You can't search the entire area on your own."
"Watch me," she growled, walking past them.
The next day, Daniel sat near the base of Pride Rock with a group of animals. He poured some red powder into his palm and very carefully blew it into the face of a sickly cheetah cub. "Okay," he said to the mother, "he'll need to sleep for about a day but he should be fine now." Its mother thanked Daniel before picking her cub up and departing. Daniel checked his supplies before looking over his shoulder. "How's the new batch coming?" he called.
"It's coming, it's coming," Timon groused, grinding the ingredients together in a bowl.
"We're running low on red leaves," Asante noted.
"We'll get some more after I've treated the rest of these folks," Daniel replied, turning to the buffalo that was next in line.
"It was really lucky that you remembered how Rafiki made this stuff," Pumbaa said to Asante.
"I think Rafiki told me something about this sickness," Asante replied, looking a bit uncomfortable, "but I can't remember what. I wish I could…"
"Kid, lighten up," Timon laughed. "You just saved a lot of animal's butts by remembering how to make this stuff."
Asante smiled a little. He pointed to the batch Timon was mixing. "Um, Timon, you put too much leaves in that mixture."
Timon paused and looked at the unfinished blend in his lap. "Is that a problem?"
"I think so. Rafiki said the mixture had to be precise." Asante measured out some purple berries from their supplies and nudged them towards Timon. "Here, add these. That will equal it out."
The buffalo standing next in line noticed the berries and gasped. "Aren't those berries poisonous?" he demanded.
Daniel blew some powder into the buffalo's face. "Wait, what's poisonous?" Daniel yelped, turning around to face his friends.
"Great Spirit, you've killed me!" the buffalo screeched, desperately trying to wipe the dust from his face with his hooves.
"Oh calm down," Asante sighed. "The red leaves neutralize the poison in the berries."
Daniel and the buffalo exhaled simultaneously in relief.
"You're holding up the line," said the female giraffe standing behind the buffalo.
It wasn't long before Daniel had seen to all the animals that had come for treatment that day. With Asante, Timon, and Pumbaa accompanying him, Daniel left Pride Rock to gather more supplies.
"The new batches seem to be working a lot quicker than the ones we found in Rafiki's tree," Asante noted.
"You said Rafiki died about four years ago, right?" Daniel asked.
"Yes."
"So the samples we found in his tree are at least four years old. Makes sense that the fresher batches would be more effective. We should probably replace all his medicines when we have the time. You think you can remember the ingredients for the other ones?"
Asante nodded. "I think so." The prince glanced at the human shrewdly. "I think your mane is growing in," he noted.
"Huh?" Daniel asked.
"There's fur starting to grow out of your chin," Asante explained.
Daniel rubbed his face. "It's called a beard," Daniel explained. "A lot of humans like to shave it off but I don't have a razor with me."
Asante gaped at Daniel. "You shave your fur off?" he gasped.
"Not all of it," Daniel replied mildly.
"You humans are so odd," Asante muttered.
The four companions traveled a good distance towards the edge of the Pride Lands. The leaves they needed didn't grow anywhere else. Once they reached the red bushes, Daniel began filling his backpack with the foliage. Asante, Timon, and Pumbaa helped pick the leaves.
"You really did meet Rafiki in your dream," Asante noted with a mystified smile. "I mean, how else could you have known where to find the medicine?"
"I don't know," Daniel replied.
"You know, Rafiki could also communicate with the spirits."
Daniel paused and looked over at Asante in surprise. "He could?"
Asante nodded. "I don't know if they visited his dreams but he could actually hear them when he was awake – at least that's what he said. Maybe you're a shaman like he was."
Daniel thought about this for a moment. "I don't think I'm a shaman," he said, gathering more leaves. He glanced over his shoulder and his eyes widened. "Asante?"
"What?" the lion asked, continuing to pick leaves with his teeth.
"There's another lion over there."
Asante looked around to see what Daniel was talking about. His eyes landed upon a lion in the distance. The prince didn't recognize the stranger and realized he was crossing the border from outside the Pride Lands. "Hide," Asante hissed.
"Say what now?" Timon mumbled. "Ack!" he gasped when Daniel grabbed him by the tail and yanked him behind the bush with Asante and Pumbaa.
"Did he notice us?" Daniel asked.
"I don't think so," Asante whispered back.
"What's that smell?" Timon gasped.
"Sorry," Pumbaa said.
There were three muffled groans before the four companions peaked at the lion through the bushes. The stranger was very large, smaller than Mheetu but bigger than Simba. The black mane indicated the stranger was male but he walked quite gracefully for such a hulking lion. The mane was glossy and billowed lightly in the wind, smoothed back so that it left a flat blended widow's peak along the lion's forehead. His golden pelt had a nice luster to it, indicating that this may not have been an ordinary rogue. His piercing eyes were light gray and his face was sharp and streamlined.
"You got any idea who that is?" Timon asked.
"I've never seen him before," Asante whispered.
"Let's get back to Pride Rock and warn Simba," Daniel suggested.
"How do we sneak ahead of him?" Timon whispered.
"We'll need a distraction," Daniel noted.
"He looks like he hasn't eaten in a while," Asante observed, glancing at Timon and Pumbaa.
The meerkat recognized the look in Asante's eyes and frowned. "Et tu, Asante?" he sighed.
"I don't want to be live bait again," Pumbaa moaned.
Daniel and Asante looked at Timon and Pumbaa pleadingly.
Timon sighed. "Just give me a minute to put on my hula skirt."
Simba was napping with the rest of the pride when he heard Asante and Daniel's calls. He lifted his head and yawned before looking in their direction. The human was riding Asante, who raced towards Pride Rock at full speed. The king knew something was wrong and roared as he stood up to rally the pride.
"Simba?" Nala gasped, rising up as well and sticking close to him. Her eyes widened when she saw Asante bolting towards them. "Asante, what's the matter?"
"A rogue just entered the Pride Lands," Asante said breathlessly as he came to a stop beside his parents.
"Timon and Pumbaa distracted him so we could get here first," Daniel explained.
"How long do you think they can distract him?" Kiara asked, hurrying forward with Kopa, Kiara, and Kovu.
A roar could be heard in the distance, as could the squeals of Timon and Pumbaa.
"I'm guessing not that long," Kopa noted dryly.
Pumbaa and Timon came rushing into sight, having circled Pride Rock to decoy the lion. Pumbaa had an apple in his mouth and Timon was dressed in drag with a hula skirt, a purple flower lei necklace, and a pink flower tucked behind his ear.
"What in the world?" Kiara gasped.
"Don't ask," Simba sighed.
The large foreign lion charged into sight after them, his tongue lolling out hungrily. He skidded to a stop when he saw the pride and allowed the warthog and meerkat to escape, watching incredulously as the two animals took shelter behind the pride. "Uh, hello?" he said in a surprisingly soft voice.
Simba stepped forward, quickly flanked by Kovu and Kopa. "I am Simba, Lion King of these lands," he declared in an authoritative voice. "Why have you entered my kingdom?"
The lion quickly bowed before responding. "I was sent by King Malka," the stranger explained.
Simba's eyes widened at the mention of his childhood friend. "Malka? You're from his pride?"
The stranger nodded. "My name is Nuru. Malka is my father."
Simba's expression softened. "If that's the case, then you are very much welcome here."
"Seriously, another lion tries to eat us and everyone's cool with it?" Timon scoffed from the back of the crowd.
"You did just give a song and dance routine offering Pumbaa up to be eaten," Daniel pointed out, climbing off Asante's back.
"I must confess, I'm a bit confused," Simba noted. "Malka told me he only had one child – a daughter. Would that be your sister?"
The stranger blinked in surprise. "My sist…" He trailed off and his eyes narrowed angrily. "No, that would not be my sister," the lion replied scathingly. "I'm an only child."
Simba stared uncomprehendingly. "I don't understand."
"Oh my…" Asante gasped. He dashed to Simba's side, gently nudging Kopa out of the way. "Um, Dad," he said, "I think…" He leaned close to Simba's ear and whispered.
Simba turned to his son and listened, his eyes slowly going wide. He turned back to the stranger and a nervous grin spread across his face. "Oh – uh – welcome, Princess Nuru."
There were several exclamations of surprise from the crowd.
"You're a chick?" Kopa scoffed.
Vitani jabbed Kopa hard in the chest, causing the prince to cough.
Nuru glared at Simba's Pride. "Yes, I'm a chick," he – uh, I mean she growled.
Now that the stranger's true gender was revealed, everyone could see it more clearly. She had a mane, true, but her body and limbs were slender and graceful like that of most other females. Her voice was a bit lower than usual but Asante remembered that his grandmother Sarabi had a very similar voice. As he studied the princess from the Pride Beyond the Mountains, her feminine characteristics became ingrained in Asante's mind.
Simba cleared his throat awkwardly. "Princess Nuru, my sincere apologies. We did not mean to insult yo…"
"Never mind that," Nuru sighed, waving her paw dismissively. "I'm not here for a social call. My father sent me to ask for your aid."
Simba's eyes widened. "My aid? Has something happened? Is Malka all right?"
"Yes," Nuru said, though her expression then turned uncertain. "That is, he was when I left. There is a plague in our kingdom. Half of our pride is sick. My father said there was a baboon that lived in the Pride Lands. I think he said his name was – um…"
"Rafiki?" Simba offered.
Nuru nodded. "Yeah, that's the one. Father said he was a healer."
Simba frowned. "I'm sorry, Rafiki died a long time ago."
Nuru's expression fell. "Oh…"
"What kind of disease is it?" Daniel called out.
Nuru looked up and did a double take when she finally took notice of Daniel. Clearly, she'd never seen a human before. "Uh… I'm not sure what the disease is but the lions who get sick fall into a coma for three days. When they wake up, they're…" Nuru trailed off, her eyes looking haunted.
"They're what?" Simba coaxed.
"It's like they don't actually wake up. They open their eyes, they stand up, but mentally there're just not there anymore. They – they become violent and…" She cleared her throat and regarded the Pride Landers gravely. "They attack anyone who gets too close to them."
"Just like the elephant," Kiara whispered.
Simba looked over his shoulder at the human. "Daniel, how much medicine do we have left?"
Nuru's expression brightened. "Wait, you have medicine?"
"We just ran out," Daniel replied, "but I can make more." He turned to Nuru. "How many lions are in your pride?"
"Twenty-three," Nuru answered. Then she shook her head. "Sorry, no. Um, it's eighteen now. Five of the sick died before I left – and others might have died since then."
Simba gazed sympathetically at Nuru and then turned to Daniel. "Can you make enough medicine to treat that many within an hour?" he asked the human.
"More than enough," Daniel replied.
"Good. We leave in an hour."
Simba and Nala stood with their children just outside the den. Simba regarded Kopa and Kiara solemnly. "You will rule in my stead till we return," he told them.
Kopa and Kiara glanced at each other apprehensively. The prince met his father's gaze. "Dad, I'm not sure that I – that we're ready for this," he said.
"I believe you are," Simba replied, smiling tenderly at his children.
"Maybe you should be talking to Kovu instead of me," Kiara suggested.
"Kiara, you're an heir to the throne," Nala explained. "That means that Kovu is subservient to you."
"So – Kovu's actually the queen in their marriage?" Kopa chuckled.
"The technical term is prince consort," Simba told Kopa in a scolding voice.
"We've been referring to Kiara and Kovu as the future queen and king because those are the terms most animals are familiar with," Nala conceded, "but when the high ruler is a female, the official titles are queen regnant and prince consort."
"So, Kopa will be king, Kiara will be queen regnant, Vitani will be queen, and Kovu will be prince consort?" Asante ventured.
"Exactly," Simba said.
"Was Great-Grandmother Uru a queen regnant?" Kiara asked.
Simba frowned slightly. "No, the law was different during my grandparents' reign. Back then, the custom was that a male always stood as the high ruler, whether he was the heir or his wife was the heir." The king then smiled at Kiara. "When you were a cub, I decided to change that law because I believed you deserved the right to lead regardless of something as inconsequential as gender."
Kiara smiled a little. "Thanks, I guess. Truthfully, I think Kovu would make a much better ruler than me."
"Interestingly enough, Kovu told me he thought you would make a better ruler," Simba noted, stepping closer and nuzzling Kiara.
"So does this make me Kovu's boss?" Kopa interjected, smiling evilly.
Kiara shot her brother a dark look.
"Actually, I think it makes you Vitani's boss," Asante suggested objectively. "Kiara would be Kovu's boss."
Nala regarded her sons coolly. "So, by your logic, your father would be considered my boss?"
Kopa and Asante blanched slightly. "Dude, don't say a word," Kopa whispered to his brother. "It's a trap."
"It's not a matter of who's the boss," Simba explained solemnly. "In most respects, Nala and I stand as equals, just as Kopa and Kiara will stand as equals to Vitani and Kovu. It's just that certain responsibilities will fall to Kopa and Kiara alone."
"Yes sir," Kopa and Asante said in unison, avoiding their mother's stern look.
"Males," Kiara sighed disdainfully.
Kopa cleared his throat awkwardly but then looked to his brother with a mischievous smile. "So Asante, what do you think of Nuru?"
Asante stared at Kopa uncomprehendingly. "Um, she's okay, I guess. Why?"
"Well, Mom and Dad did talk with Malka about having you two betrothed." Kopa grinned darkly.
"WHAT?" Asante yelped.
"Kopa, stop teasing him," Nala scolded.
"Malka suggested we arrange a betrothal between you and his daughter," Simba explained to Asante, "but your mother and I decided against it – seeing as how the betrothals we set up for your brother and sister fell through."
"Wait, I was betrothed?" Kiara asked. "To who?"
"You don't want to know," Kopa said.
"Nuru seems nice enough," Asante conceded. "It's just – I don't even know her and…" He trailed off and scratched his mane awkwardly. "Well, she's sort of – different."
"I think what you're getting at is that she looks like a dude," Kopa ventured.
Asante glared at Kopa. "No – I mean, yes – I mean, when I first saw her, yeah, my initial impression was that she was male but that was only because of her mane." Asante blushed beneath his fur. "Well, that and her large size but besides that, she's clearly female."
"I didn't even know lionesses could grow manes," Kiara pointed out.
"I don't think any of us were aware of such a thing," Simba noted. "Still, that's no reason to mock her." He looked at Kopa pointedly.
"I was just kidding around," Kopa said defensively.
"Considering the tragedy that has befallen Malka's Pride, I think it might do us some good to show a bit more maturity and compassion right now," Nala suggested.
Kopa sighed. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to make light of the situation. I'm just worried and cracking jokes helps me deal with it."
"Kopa, there's nothing to be worried about," Simba assured his son.
"What if something happens to you two during the journey – or while you're with Malka's Pride dealing with the lions who've gone mad from the sickness?" Kopa countered. "How far away is Malka's Pride?"
"Nuru indicated that it took her about a day's journey to reach our kingdom," Nala replied. "Your father and I have traveled much farther than that, Kopa, and we're not going alone."
Kopa lowered his head and nodded. "Just promise you'll come home safely – please."
Nala moved closer and nuzzled Kopa. "We'll come back."
"That's a promise," Simba confirmed.
"I finished making the medicine," Daniel announced as he jogged up to the promontory, his backpack full of hollowed gourds containing red powder. "I also made some extra in case any more Pride Landers get sick while you're gone."
Simba smiled approvingly. "Let's gather the pride then and determine who will accompany us."
Asante was about to speak up but hesitated. As his parents and siblings started to make their way down to where the pride was gathered, he sighed and silently followed.
"You okay?" Daniel asked, falling in step beside Asante. "You look bummed out."
"I'm fine," Asante replied.
Once the lions were all gathered in the fields, Simba held up a paw to gain their attention. The murmuring in the crowd died down and the king cleared his throat. "The queen and I will accompany Nuru back to her kingdom with the medicine. Kopa, Kiara, Vitani, and Kovu will rule the pride in our absence."
Kovu and Vitani took their respective places by their mates.
"What about the rest of us?" Babu asked.
"Most of you will also remain to protect the Pride Lands," Simba replied. "However, Malka's Pride may require additional assistance so I am requesting volunteers to accompany us on this journey."
"Shouldn't Daniel go too," Vitani suggested. "He knows how to administer the medicine."
Daniel was about to offer his backpack to Simba, not sure how the king would carry it, and glanced at Vitani in surprise when he heard her suggestion.
Simba regarded the human questioningly. "Don't you need to wait here for the other humans to find you?" he suggested.
Daniel thought about it. "Um, well…" He sighed ruefully. "Honestly, I'm starting to think that – if they haven't arrived by now…"
Simba nuzzled the human's chin consolingly. "You don't have to come with us if you don't want to."
Daniel gazed at Simba for a moment and shook his head. "No, I think I should come." He slung his backpack onto his shoulders.
"Timon and I can keep making medicine for any Pride Landers who get sick," Pumbaa offered.
Simba smiled at his friend. "Yes, that would be very helpful, Pumbaa," he agreed.
"Hey, it's easier than going off to treat a bunch of potentially rabid lions," Timon pointed out.
"You should take Rafiki's walking stick," Kopa suggested to Daniel. "You can carry some more medicine gourds on it – just to be safe."
"I'd also like to go," Mheetu declared, stepping forward.
"Not without me, you're not," Madoa replied, nudging her mate's shoulder with her paw.
"Can I go too?" Faraji asked.
"You three are very welcome to join us," Simba replied with a smile.
"What about you guys?" Faraji asked his brothers. They shook their heads nervously. "Wimps," Faraji mumbled.
"I'd also like to volunteer," Bado called as he stepped forward.
"I don't think so," Afua said, grabbing his son's tail and pulling him back.
"Dad, I'm not a cub anymore," Bado protested. He looked to his mother for support. "Mom, please talk to him."
Boga sighed. "Bado, I agree with your father. I don't think…"
"I'll watch out for him," Faraji offered, moving next to Bado and placing a paw on his shoulder.
Afua and Boga regarded the two youths for a moment. "All right," Boga said, earning an irritated look from Afua. "Just be very careful."
Afua sighed and looked at Faraji. "I suppose if Bado has you watching his back, there's nothing to worry about." He smiled a little. "You're a good friend, Faraji."
Faraji glanced at Bado and frowned sadly. "Yeah, a good friend," he mumbled.
"Any other volunteers?" Simba asked.
Asante started to lift his paw but hesitated, feeling his stomach flip over at the prospect of going somewhere unknown and potentially dangerous.
"All right then," Simba said when he saw no other volunteers. "Those of us who are leaving, take a moment to say your goodbyes."
As the lions who elected to go with Nuru nuzzled their family and friends in farewell, Asante sat on his haunches and stared sadly at the ground. He felt his parents nuzzle him lovingly.
"We love you," Nala whispered.
Asante nodded.
"We'll be back before you know it," Simba added.
"I know," Asante mumbled.
Simba raised his voice to garner the attention of the other lions. "All right, let's head out. Princess Nuru, if you'll kindly lead the way."
Nuru, who had been standing off by herself, nodded and turned to lead the caravan. Asante looked at her – watched as her slender limbs moved fluidly, studied the soulful glitter in her gray eyes, watched as she took the first step that would lead her out of his life…
"Dad," Asante called, hurrying to catch up with his parents.
Simba glanced at his son questioningly. "Yes, Asante?"
"I um…" Asante felt the same fear from before start to reassert itself but then he looked at Nuru again. The large lioness was staring at him inquisitively, her eyes fixed on his for the very first time. "I'd like to come too," Asante declared.
Simba stared at Asante in surprise. "Son…"
"Please," Asante insisted before his fear could sway him. "It's not like I have anything I need to do here and – I've always been interested in what was outside the Pride Lands."
The king considered Asante's request for a moment. He smiled and nodded. "Very well."
Asante nuzzled his father appreciatively.
It was only an hour before sunset when the caravan departed, Nuru leading the way with Simba and Nala walking side-by-side behind her, followed next by Mheetu and Madoa, then Faraji and Bado, and lastly Asante and Daniel taking up the rear. Simba glanced up at the stars starting to appear in the purple sky. He wished that they could have started the journey earlier that day and avoid traveling at night – but it couldn't be helped, seeing that Nuru had only just arrived an hour earlier.
At the back of the caravan, Asante peered over the shoulders of the other lions to see Nuru at the front of the group.
"Someone's got a crush," Daniel noted playfully. He and Asante were far enough behind so that no one could hear their conversation.
"Huh?" Asante gasped.
"Don't play dumb," Daniel laughed. "I saw the way you were checking out Nuru."
Asante blanched. "I wasn't…"
Daniel nudged Asante's shoulder. "Sure you weren't," he said knowingly.
"I don't have a crush," Asante claimed. "I just think she's interesting. I mean, a lioness with a mane – that's really unusual."
"I've actually heard about lionesses who grew manes before," Daniel noted. "They're occasionally found in the Okavango Delta of Botswana…" He noticed Asante staring at him blankly. "Yeah, you don't know where that is, do you?" he sighed. "Anyway, there have been a number of sightings in that area of maned lionesses. It's been theorized that they developed manes because they were exposed to unusually high levels of androgens while in utero, causing them to be masculinized."
Asante still had trouble following what Daniel was saying, mentally stumbling over certain words he used like androgens and in utero. "So – is Nuru sick?"
Daniel shook his head. "No, she should be perfectly healthy. She's just a bit hairier and more buff than other lionesses. Although…"
"What?" Asante asked when Daniel trailed off.
Daniel frowned. "It's nothing…"
"Spill it," Asante said sternly.
Daniel sighed. "The maned lionesses that my kind discovered have – never been observed conceiving or giving birth, so it's generally assumed they're infertile."
Asante looked ahead of the group, gazing at Nuru. "So she can't have children?"
Daniel shrugged. "I don't know."
Asante suddenly felt very sad for Nuru, despite the fact that he didn't even know her.
Continue to Chapter 11
Note on Maned Lionesses: There are in fact lionesses in the Botswana region that have manes, and they are generally assumed to be infertile due to their high levels of androgens and low levels of estrogen.