Cubhood: Chapter 10
The mists reformed into a new vision that Scar didn't immediately recognise. He instantly picked out his own self, and saw that, unlike before, there were only two figures to be seen. The unmistakable golden and brown shapes of the young Prince Taka, and his brother, the Crown Prince Mufasa.
The two cubs were in deep conversation. When Scar listened in, he could make out that Taka was filling in Mufasa on all that had happened with the leopards from his perspective. They were outside, so Taka's being grounded to the den had at least worn off. That didn't stop Mufasa from pressing him for details as to how he had ended up there. Apparently it made a lot more sense now that he had the context.
"Leopards are a funny people… They place a lot of stock in traditions and formalities…" Mufasa noted.
"One of your lessons?" Taka asked, faintly annoyed. Mufasa grimaced.
"We did just spend a lot of time talking about the leopard and cheetah tribes. They value their autonomy…" Mufasa said. Taka groaned.
"Great. Now Dad's using my mistakes as examples of 'how not to rule a kingdom'." He said, sounding annoyed.
"I don't think it was that bad. What was the leopard's name? Shari? He sounds like he was a nasty piece of work. I think he'd probably have started something without your influence sooner or later. Nothing you could have done about that." Mufasa tried to assure him. Taka only grunted.
"Forget about it. I thought we were looking for Dad?" He said. Mufasa nodded, and let the matter drop. At least with things with the leopard tribes calming down, he hoped his father would finally have some time to teach him some things, instead of just his brother. In fact, he brought Mufasa with him hoping that his brother's presence might persuade his father to dedicate some time to his other son. It wasn't particularly fair on Mufasa, he knew that, but even so…
"Zuzu said he'd be around here, and I have his scent…" He said.
Taka squinted. "I think that's him over there…" He said, nodding to a shape he had just picked out in the distance. Mufasa paused.
"Aren't there two of them? You sure that isn't a pair of leopards? I think we should probably avoid those for now…" He suggested tactfully. Taka ignored the remark though. It was definitely his father.
"That's Dad! But I think he's with someone." He paused. "Mufasa! Dad's talking with another Lion!" Taka said, sounding shocked. Sure enough, now they were close enough, he could make out that the two shapes sported manes, unique, so far as he knew, to lions!
"What?!" Mufasa asked, panicking. "Is it a rogue?!" He said. He'd never seen a rogue before. Scar swallowed. That was a frightening possibility. Rogues could be dangerous, even to cubs. Everyone knew that.
"I don't think so. They're just talking, not fighting." He said.
They looked at each other. Over the savannah, Ahadi looked up from his conversation with the rogue, and called out to them, spotting the lion cubs. That settled the matter. The two princes made their way over to their father, crossing the distance in what felt like the blink of an eye. The lion wasn't quite as large as their father, but he still towered over the two younger lions. He smiled at them though, and seemed to exude an aura of calm. One look at him told him that this was no rogue lion. In fact, the way he held himself was alike only one person Taka had ever met, and that was his own father.
"Dad… Who is this?" Mufasa asked, looking confused. Taka was distracted though, by the presence of a smaller form that he had only just noticed. Just next to him, hiding behind his rear leg, he saw another pair of eyes, and attached to them was another lion cub. He was slightly larger than Taka, and slightly smaller than Mufasa. Was he the Lion's offspring?
"Mufasa. Taka." Ahadi said, smiling. "It is my honour to introduce to you, King Huruma, and his son, Prince Kusini. King and Prince of the Southlands, our neighbours." He said. Mufasa and Taka looked at the cub in surprise. His coat was darker than theirs, neither Mufasa's gold, nor Taka's darker redder coat. Instead, it was a darker brown hue, and his eyes were dark to match. Huruma was the same, with a Brown mane only a shade darker than his coat. The pair reminded him of Imani. Taka made a mental note to ask Imani if he had any southern ancestry. Kusini gave a shy smile, and stepped forwards.
"Hello." He said.
Huruma smiled.
"You have two fine sons. You should be proud of them."
"I am indeed." Ahadi said, and Taka swelled with Pride.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty. What brings you to our Kingdom?" Taka said, excluding charm. Mufasa rolled his eyes at Taka's formality. It always seemed to come naturally to him. Taka, it seemed, could charm zebra into his mouth if he was of mind to do so.
"Courteous too, I see. You have the makings of a fine Prince, Your Highness." He said, returning Taka's calling him by his title with his own. "As for why I am here, that is not very exciting. Your father and I have been friends since we were cubs, and though we rule our respective Kingdoms separately, we are of mind to cooperate on matters that affect us both. We like to renew our friendship, and that of our Prides by communicating frequently… but messengers sent by birds are impersonal, and not suited for private – or personal – matters. Besides, now that my son is of age to travel, I considered it prudent to take him to visit the other Prides. We shall be visiting Queen Mlima soon." He said. Mufasa beamed.
"So you're taking Kusini on a tour of the Serengeti?" He said. The ends of Huruma's mouth twitched in a smile.
"I hadn't thought of it like that." He said.
"I think it's a great idea!" Mufasa continued excitedly. "I bet there's all sorts of things to see in the other Prides!"
"Well, why don't you show Kusini around the Pridelands?" Ahadi suggested. "His father and I shall discuss the… duller… aspects of rule that are unlikely to be of interest to young'uns such as yourselves." He said. Mufasa grinned.
"Yeah! Great idea! We'll show you all sorts of fun places, you'll love it here!"
"Uh… Okay. If it's okay with you, Dad?" Kusini asked. His father smiled.
"I see no reason to object. I hope you won't be offended if I ask Kumi to go with them?" He said.
"Not at all, old friend. I was about to suggest summoning Zuzu, but I have full confidence in your majordomo's abilities." Ahadi said. The egret, whom Taka assumed to be Kumi, hopped from Huruma's shoulder and landed on the back of the Prince, Kusini, who shifted slightly at her weight, but didn't object.
"Come on, this way!" Mufasa said. He stopped suddenly. "It was nice to meet you, Your Majesty." He said to Huruma. Then the three cubs departed, running away at speed.
The two Princes brought Kusini all over the Pridelands, avoiding Pride Rock where they knew the adults would be waiting. Instead they saved that till last, taking Kusini to see their favourite nooks and crevices. They showed him the gorge, where they had first met Imani, warning Kusini that they weren't allowed to go too far, and that their mother was unlikely to be happy with them if they hurt themselves there. Kusini didn't object, though he was a quiet cub, occasionally asking questions about the Pridelands and how they did certain things. Taka was surprised, and a little disappointed, at how similar the culture of the Southlands seemed to be. They held many of the same customs and traditions as the Pridelands did. He had hoped that the Southrons would be more… exotic. But, it seemed, a lion was a lion wherever he was born.
"Hey! Taka!" They heard a shout. Scar turned, and saw Imani running towards them. The cub was accompanied by Nguvu.
"Heya Imani. What'cha doing way out here?" Mufasa asked him, as Imani ran up to them.
"Looking for you two! I thought we said we'd meet by the watering hole today? Who's your friend?" He asked them. Taka groaned.
"Oh yeah. Sorry! We met with Dad, he introduced us to King Huruma; this is Prince Kusini, from the Southlands." Taka said. Nguvu and Imani both blinked in surprise.
"Uh… Hi! Your Highness!" Imani said, taken by surprise. Taka tried not to smirk at Imani's reaction.
"Kusini, these are Imani and Nguvu; they're some of my best friends."
"Nice to meet you." Kusini said, looking surprised.
"We were thinking of showing Kusini the watering hole next. Want to come along?" Mufasa said. Imani winced. "Uh… I'd like to… But I think Kasi and Zira are at the watering hole at the moment…" He said trailing off.
"Great idea! I am sure they'd love to meet Kusini!" Mufasa said.
"Uh, Mufasa… I don't think it's Kusini that Imani is worried about them meeting…" Taka said, as Imani flushed.
"What… Oh. Oh. Zira still not talking to you?" Mufasa asked, realising. Imani shrugged.
"She's speaking to me again… but it's always… I don't know. Cold. I don't think she likes me very much." He said carefully.
"Well, you were kind of an ass to her…" Taka pointed out. Imani sighed.
"And Kasi tried to claw my eyes out for it. You don't see me holding a grudge… I don't get it. I said I was sorry, and I meant it too! I don't know what more I can do or say…" He said, dejectedly. As carefree as Imani often was, this was clearly bothering him, and Taka had no easy solution ready.
"Maybe try doing something extra nice for her or something?" Mufasa suggested. "Lionesses aren't my forte…" He admitted.
"Yeah, mine neither." Imani said, shaking his head. "You go and enjoy the place. Nguvu and I are heading to Pride Rock. The hunting party will be back soon, and we want first dibs on the choice cuts…" He said, licking his lips.
"Always thinking with your stomach…" Mufasa noted, and Imani grinned.
"See ya later guys. Pleasure meeting you Kusini." He said, and darted off, Nguvu close behind him.
Kusini watched them go.
"What was that about?" He asked him. Taka sighed.
"Imani is a nice guy, but he doesn't always think ahead… A few days ago, he played a joke on some zebra, and it sort of went wrong. Now Zira - she's our other friend - won't speak to him." He explained. Mufasa coughed, not wanting to dwell on such an awkward subject that they had no ability to change.
"Come on, let's go this way! This is the largest watering hole in the Pridelands." Taka said, and a short time later, they were there, staring at the oasis in the middle of the savannah. Kusini whistled, impressed.
"Wow. Look at that Kumi! That looks pretty…" He said suddenly, then blushed again. Taka and Mufasa didn't mock him though, but just nodded in agreement.
"Look, there's Zira!" Taka said, excitedly. And sure enough, Zira and Sarafina were there, and upon hearing his voice jumped up. Kasi too was nearby, which caused Kusini to blink.
"There are other boys here too?" He said, sounding curious. Before Taka could ask him what he meant by that, they were approached by their friends, and hearing the commotion, Sarabi too bounded up to them, looking pleased to see them; They had, unknowingly, spent most of the morning showing Kusini around the Pridelands, and their friends had just been beginning to wonder where they had gotten to.
"Mufasa! Taka! Where have you been?" Someone, either Sarabi or Sarafina called, and the two Princes filled them in on who Kusini was, and that he and his father were visiting the Pridelands. To Taka's relief, but not to his surprise, the three lionesses and Kasi were very welcoming of Kusini, and more than a little curious of what life was like in the strange other Pride that none of them had ever visited. The thing that got his attention though, was when Kusini counted around, and looked impressed.
"You have loads of cubs here…" He said, looking around. Kumi nodded.
"It must be very busy here… I can barely keep my eye on one Prince. Let alone two and a court of their friends…" The egret said, fluffing herself, causing Kusini to roll his eyes. Mufasa looked at Kusini strangely.
"What do you mean, loads of cubs?" He asked him. Kusini shrugged.
"Other than me, there are only two other cubs back in my Pride. You have three times that here. I'm sort of jealous." Kusini said. "Must be nice… Back in the Southlands, nobody calls me Kusini except for Dad. Everyone else just calls me 'Your Highness'. I didn't realise how much I preferred people calling me by name 'till you guys did it…" He trailed off, thinking to himself. "Sorry." He said suddenly, snapping back to reality. Taka's brow furrowed.
"You're a little weird, you know that?" Mufasa asked him, as Taka elbowed him. That wasn't diplomatic. Kusini smirked though.
"Yeah, I guess." He stood up. "What do you want to do now?" He asked.
Zira shrugged. "We've got loads of time before we need to be back at Pride Rock… Why don't we go hunting?" She asked. Kusini's eyes bulged.
"What? All of us?" He asked. Taka laughed.
"Don't worry, we don't usually get anything… it's just about practice. The ladies here will have their First Hunt by themselves, so we like to practice…"
"What, you hunt with them?" Kusini asked him, sounding shocked. Taka and Mufasa glanced at one another.
"Well… yeah…" He said.
Kusini's face screwed up. "Oh come on! Hunting is for lionesses! Not lions!" Kusini said. Zira and Sarafina looked at one another, then burst out laughing.
"What on earth does that mean?" Sarafina asked him. Zira snorted.
"My Dad hunted all the time when we lived in the Outlands…" She said, sounding a little confused. Kusini looked at her.
"You lived in the Out- wait. One thing at a time." He took a breath. "It's different when you're in the Outlands… In the Prides, males and females don't hunt together. It'd be weird!" He said.
Taka was frowning in incredulous amusement.
"Who says?" he said.
Kusini's laughter was fading now as he realised that his new friends were being serious.
"Everyone! At least… Everyone in the Southlands… Isn't that right Kumi?" He trailed off, looking questioningly at the egret who was still perched quietly on his shoulder. She fluffed her feathers.
"I have to say Your Highness, I have never seen males and females hunting in the same party in the Southlands… And we haven't seen any other males here in the Pridelands. But maybe things are different here? Egrets aren't the same as every other bird in some things. Maybe Lions are the same?" She said diplomatically.
Mufasa shrugged his shoulders. "We'll soon settle this. Look, there's Sauda, Zira's mother. Let's go ask her." He said.
"Good idea your highness." Kumi said, sounding relieved. The cubs approached Sauda cheerfully, with only Kusini seeming a little unconfident. They introduced her to Kusini, and Sauda greeted him formally, as was courteous with visiting royalty.
"What can I do for you?" She asked them, smiling.
"Mom," Zira said, "We had some questions about lions and lionesses." She said.
The smile on Sauda's face evaporated like dew in sunlight, and her eyes widened.
"Um… okay?" She asked, sounding nervous. Taka cleared his throat, hoping to spare them all further embarrassment.
"Kusini says that males and females don't hunt together in the Prides. We think that's silly." He said, carefully. Sauda sighed in relief.
"Oh, is that all?" She asked. "That's fairly common, Taka. In most of the Prides so far as I am aware of." She explained. Kusini looked pleased at being vindicated, but Zira's brow furrowed in confusion.
"Oh. But not here though. Not in the Pridelands." She said, no longer sounding sure of herself. Sauda shrugged.
"Oh yes. Most of the time anyway… There are exceptions of course…" She said. Zira snorted.
"That's silly!"
"Most traditions are, Zira. It's just the way things have been for a while… There are always far more females then males in a pride anyway. The King doesn't hunt with the hunting party. He has other important jobs to do. And in some Prides, it's not unusual for him to be the only male." She said.
"All the other cubs at home are girls…" Kusini commented.
"Sounds great." Sarabi said, earning herself an elbow from Sarafina.
Kasi frowned.
"But I like hunting…" He said.
"Don't worry, Kasi. We'll always be happy to hunt with you. I don't get why it's a big issue…" Sarafina said, sounding perplexed. Sauda smiled.
"It isn't really. It's not banned per say. Just not very common. You'll understand when you are older, Sarafina. Several of the Pridesisters find it… distracting. To hunt with males. It's nothing to do with Kasi's skill as a hunter. Besides, it's a little different whilst you are cubs. You're not the only ones who think it's nonsense. Uru taught you to hunt, didn't she?" Sauda pointed out. Taka and Mufasa nodded.
"Now I think about it, she did say we probably wouldn't use it much though…" Taka said. Still, he wasn't complaining. It was a useful skill to have, and there was no such thing as a wasted talent. Kusini nodded.
"Seems about right me. I'd be embarrassed to hunt in front of the ladies. As, I should think, would most of the lionesses!" He said blushing, causing Sarabi and Sarafina to giggle. Sauda looked sympathetically to Kusini.
"Not me!" Said Zira happily, looking at the two princes with fondness. Sauda smiled at their young minds, so unpolluted with adolescence. Oh how that would change. Still, she treasured their innocence whilst it lasted.
"Well, maybe by the time you're adults, the Pridesisters won't mind so much. If so, you might find yourself in the hunting party after all. So you better keep your hunting skills polished." Sauda said, encouragingly. "Who knows? You or Imani might end up leading it." She said, looking to Kasi and Taka.
That prompted a loud snort from one of the other lionesses who was listening nearby. Sauda blinked, and looked to her pridesister in surprise.
"Something funny Suberi?" She asked, recognising Imani's mother. The lioness was trying to hide a smirk.
"I am sorry. Just the thought of Imani leading the Hunt. That'll be the day." She snorted, chuckling to herself. Sauda had trouble envisioning the mischievous, trick-playing lion cub in any position of responsibility. The child had boldness leaking out of his ears, but none of what one might call responsibility or leadership skills.
"Okay then." She conceded. If Imani's own mother wasn't offended at seeing Imani's attitude for what it was, she saw no point in hiding it.
"Taka or Mufasa then." She suggested. Suberi shook her head, chuckling.
"You are two fine young Princes, and I am certain either one of you will make an excellent King." She said, grinning at the royal cubs, and Mufasa preened slightly at the flattery. "But First Lioness? Not in my lifetime…" She said, smirking.
"Why not?" Sarafina said, suddenly. "Sure, Mufasa's going to be King one day. But what about Taka? Who's to say he couldn't lead the hunt, just because he's a lion and not a lioness?" She said, sounding faintly offended. Suberi shook her head.
"The First Lioness is usually the King's mate, Sarafina. Like Uru is to Ahadi… Or the Queen's younger sister, if she has one."
"Not always. It's supposed to be the best huntress, right? And Taka would be the King's brother. Which is almost the same thing." She challenged. Suberi shook her head.
"It's a totally different thing, young one." She assured her. Sarafina didn't see how it was, but sensed that challenging the point any further only risked an argument, since it was clearly a tradition some of the lionesses felt very strongly over. Sauda, also sensing that further disrespect of the ancient traditions of the Pridelands would only provoke a further conflict and once more, believing it would be in their best interests to avoid having one in front of their esteemed guests from the South, cleared her throat.
"Look, the Sun. It's gone noon. We should probably head back to Pride Rock, or there won't be any meat left for us." Sauda said.
That got everyone's attention, and Taka was suddenly aware of how hungry he actually was. Indeed, his stomach began to rumble loudly. Suberi nodded.
"Indeed. Let's head home. You need to see Pride Rock up close, Kumi, Kusini. It's something to behold." She looked back at Taka and Mufasa, and the lioness cubs, who were clearly thoughtful.
"I am sure Taka will do plenty of great things, when he's an adult, without necessarily becoming First Lioness, as well." She said.
"Like what?" Sarabi asked, still a little cross with this seemingly arbitrary state of affair. Suberi opened her mouth, and closed it a couple of times.
"Whatever he wants." Sauda assured her. "Starting with eating at regular intervals." She said. "Come this way." She chivvied them along, and the lions left the watering hole and made their way back to Pride Rock, following the well-trod paths. It was a very short route; not as short as the distance to the small watering hole that was almost at Pride Rock's base (for there were many smaller watering holes in the Pridelands besides this large one), but not a far distance at all.
As they walked, Kusini, deep in thought, looked at Taka. "What will you end up doing?" He asked, as they followed the two lionesses.
"Excuse me?" Taka replied, confused.
"I mean, when Mufasa is King. He's your elder brother right? So Mufasa will end up as King… What's that gonna mean for you? What are you gonna do with your life? If you don't mind me asking? I don't have any siblings so…" Kusini added, quickly. Taka shrugged, not very concerned.
"Whatever needs doing I suppose. Truth be told, I am not really interested in leading the hunt. I like hunting, but only as a sport. I don't want to be responsible for feeding the Pride as well. I like the challenge of going after the tricky prey." He said, though he was already thinking about it in his head. He would make a rather excellent first lioness, though obviously the title would have to go for a start. "Besides. Mufasa's bound to get all sorts of things wrong to begin with…" He pointed out, grinning at Mufasa's scowl and exclamation of annoyance.
"Yeah, okay. But what about after that?" Kusini said.
"Who knows?" Taka said.
"Maybe you could visit the Southlands? As I said… most of the cubs our age are girls…" He said, suggestively.
"I'm not following." Taka admitted, clearly oblivious. Kusini shrugged. That was obviously not a priority for Taka yet. Still, one lioness in particular had heard the suggestion, and rounded on Kusini, suddenly aggressive.
"Taka isn't going anywhere!" Zira said in annoyance, and walked up, and stood protectively next to Taka as if this strange southern Prince would whisk him away at any moment.
"Okay! Okay! It was just a thought!" Kusini said hastily, shrinking under Zira's suddenly hostile expression.
Without risking another row, Taka laughed it off, and raced ahead, leading the lion cubs, and their chaperones – both feline and avian – back to Pride Rock, where, as predicted, a feast awaited them.
