"I hope everyone has had a pleasant Easter. Been extremely busy. Had a semi0-holiday, which was fun, but it was seeded with plenty of work for final exams… so good luck to everyone else taking exams soon.
As ever, here are the responses:
Sandydragon: Koron is an enigma. He can really do anything that he wants, but his life is somewhat void of reason or purpose. He has no stake in the conflict, he has nothing to really gain. At the moment, he is experimenting with the concept of friends, and that that is really what is keeping him there, but he is very confused about the whole issue. Zira, for all her faults, can read emotions very well, and she is pretty selfless in this instance. She can't stop manipulating people, but here, she is influencing people for their benefit.
LoveNeverDies8: Thank you very much for the kind review. I appreciate the time you have been putting into reading these stories, and I hope you have enjoyed yourself. Thank you for putting the time into the review, and I hope you stick through it and see it to the end. If you haven't already, I recommend you follow either the story or myself in order to be informed of new chapters and stories. Again, many thanks.
Emeraldreamer: Oooh. Long review here. Fantastic. I like long reviews. Koron is not your typical cub, that is for sure. He is far more dangerous for one – and in some ways, far more emotionally unstable. In a way, that is what has linked him and Zira together. He doesn't care much about people's past, or what they have done before. He cares soley about tomorrow, and he respects Zira for her survivability if nothing else.
You have picked up on something I very worried about. While it is not my intent from a story perspective to have people overly challenge Kiava's rule (it will be good for morale that he survived) the story is also a coming of age for Kiava, how he becomes a king and a leader in a time of conflict. That has and always will be his goal. I am concerned though, that with characters like Danyal killing Shai'tan, and Sara, Inti and Koron leading an army of former slaves, Kiava will be left beind, which is really not something I want to happen. The story has never *just* been about Kiava, but he is a central character, and it is through him we will see the most changes. I am actually concerned he has not done enough from a story telling perspective. I am more concerned about how the reader views him then his own subjects… I have a few things planned however… A few things for him to do… Especially in the future chapters. Let me know if you feel he is becoming more competent.
Author: Thanks for the good wishes. Ear infections are never fun, and neither are final exams. Somehow, I have squeezed enough time in to get this chapter up though. I am feeling fine now – though exams are still a big thing.
As for your questions about Vitani's parents, this is all explained in "Judgement". Feel free to give that a reread if you want. Its fairly important to the overall story.
However, the short version, is that Scar had a big falling out with his dad Ahadi, over his mother's death. Scar challenged Ahadi to a duel, and lost badly, becoming scarred. He would have died had Zira not interfered (she also was scarred, in the ear). When recovering from his injuries, is was *pestered* by a pair of curious cubs, Tojo and Tama, and Scar entertained himself by frightening them, but also kinda liked them. When Scar took the throne, he had a few supports, most of which onto become the Outlanders, but some of which died in the later years. When the drought devastated the Pridelands, Tojo (Now and adult and mated to Tama) suggested brokering a deal with the River Lords, the crocodiles who ruled the river. The Deal went sour, and several lionesses were murdered, and Tojo was killed by Sobek – the leader of the River Lords. Tama was greviously injured, and lived only long enough to have her twin cubs (Vitani and Kovu), who Zira and Scar adopted (along with Nuka, Tama and Tojo's older son) feeling responsible for Tojo and Tama's death. As far as Vitani and Kovu were concerned, they had four parents, Tojo, Tama, Zira and Scar. Tama and Tojo were honorable and compassionate, but ultimately, naive, idealistic and trusting, believing Scar truly wanted a glorious new future with the Hyenas and Lions working together (Which he did originally) and tragically perished. Their deaths were one of the last straws which pushed Scar over the edge into his insanity.
Anyway – History over. I hope you enjoy this next chapter.
Cheers: Haradion"
Chapter 13: Training Intensifies
Sarafina stood in front of Kiava. She paced up and down, as if in thought, letting low purring sounds permeate the jungle. Ookai and Bruce were nowhere in sight, Sarafina had refused to teach Kiava in their presence, assuming them a distraction. When Zuri sat down as well, she eyed her.
"You aren't needed in these lessons. They are just for Kiava. You will have little use for them." She said honestly. Zuri hesitated.
"I don't mind." She said. Her cream coat was startlingly similar to Sarafina, but their temperaments were as far apart as they could be. While Zuri was as ever optimistic and cheerful, Sarafina scowled and glowered at her.
"The lessons are about running the kingdom. Maintaining the circle of life. Things only the King can do… You're not… well… suited for it." She said. Zuri frowned.
"Can't I just sit and watch? I won't interfere…" She said. Sarafina sighed audibly.
"Be silent, speak only when spoken to and not ask annoying questions. And if I need you to do something for me, you do it without complaining." She said.
Zuri nodded eagerly.
"Good. Do you see that rock over there?" She pointed at one in the centre of the glade they had chosen to instruct Kiava lessons in. Zuri saw it. It was round, heavy and half buried in the ground. it was also almost as big as she was. She nodded.
"I see it."
"It's in the way. We'll need this place to be kept clear later on. If you want be of some small use, you can move it to the edge of the glade." She said. Zuri stared.
"What?"
"Is that a problem?" She asked, her eyes narrowing. Zuri shook her head.
"No. No problem. I'll move it." She said and immediately set about the daunting task. She didn't give Zuri another glance as she turned to face Kiava.
"Who was the first King of Pride Rock?" She asked him. Kiava answered immediately.
"Judai." He said. Sarafina nodded.
"And his father?"
"He ruled, but that was before his Pride Settled in the Pridelands. He was simply a leader of a group of Nomads, not a King." he said.
"So why was he not considered a King?" Sarafina asked him. This time Kiava took longer to answer.
"He… he didn't have a Kingdom?" He guessed. Sarafina rolled her eyes.
"In that case he shared your position. Responsibility is the Key. Not Power. Judai's grandfather was a rouge, in charge of only himself. Judai's father was responsible for solely the welfare of his Pride – so he is remembered with more reverence then his father, but less than his son. Judai, was the First King of these lands. He was responsible for the welfare of all creatures in the Pridelands. By claiming the lands as his own, he also took upon himself the duty of maintaining the Circle." She said. Kiava listened carefully. This was something he had vague memories of his father talking about and which he recalled Vitani discussing on several occasions.
"So a King is any ruler with both Power over a piece of land and responsibility for its inhabitance?" He said. Sarafina nodded.
"When a King forsakes his land, but continues to care for his people, he is a Lord, a ruler of Exiles and travelers. That is often a tragedy, but most times, the most honorable course of action – though it is not always so… There is the History of the Coward Kings… The Leopards and Cheetahs still have their own hierarchy. The Age of Lion Lords, is long past, at least as far as I know in this part of Africa. But when a King clings to his Power and forsakes his people, then he is neither a King, nor a Lord, he is a Tyrant. Scar, for example. And Ahadi to a lesser degree." She said. Kiava blinked.
"I thought Ahadi was a great King?" He asked. Sarafina gave a snort.
"Ahadi was spiteful, vengeful, petty and stubborn. Not exactly evil, but no one I would want near my cubs, that is to be certain. People will tell the stories they want about Ahadi, but to me he has always been a fool. Nothing more." She said. Kiava accepted this silently.
Sarafina stepped forward.
"Imagine, you are King of a strong land. You have three watering holes within your borders, a Pride of substantial size and a dozen other herds. The Lions are forbidden from drinking from any but the nearest waterhole. But a drought strikes the land and the cubs are dying of thirst. The old law states that any lioness drinking from the banned waterholes be exiled. What do you do in the time of crisis?" She asked him.
Kiava blinked again.
"Is this a test?" He asked her. Sarafina smiled.
"All life is a test. That was a question. What would you do? Given that you are King?" She said. Kiava hesitated.
"Well… the old law means that the lionesses can't get enough water… It makes sense, but in a time of crisis, you can remove the old laws to save lives… Is there enough water to support all of the Pridelanders? Not just the lions?" He said.
"There is enough… if no one is greedy. But only in all three of the pools." She said. "You'd allow the lionesses to drink from the other pools?" She asked. Kiava nodded, and then stopped himself.
"Wait." He said. Sarafina raised an eye.
"What?" She asked.
"If the lionesses drink from all three pools, then it won't matter if there is enough water or not… the prey will be too frightened of the smell of predators to come near. A lot will die of thirst…" he said. "Meaning… the lions will have all the water they want, but no meat." He said. Sarafina nodded.
"True. If you allowed the Lionesses access to all of the water, they would starve instead." She said. Kiava hesitated.
"Then… logically, we need to find more water?" He asked. Sarafina shook her head. "Venture too far and you forsake your kingdom… and rouges would be more likely to make a dash for power if the King is absent. You could return and find your Kingdom conquered." She said, her voice emotionless. Kiava sat down. This was harder then he thought.
"How do I make sure everyone has enough to drink?" He asked.
"You have to make some tricky choices." She said.
"There must be a way to satisfy everyone." He said with certainty. She raised an eyebrow.
"Lesson number One: Not everything is fair."
"So how do I solve it?"
"You could kill halve of the lionesses… the older, weaker ones. With fewer mouths to feed, you could survive on what you had. Or cull the herds, though starvation is still a risk." She said. Kiava blanched.
"That's disgusting!" he said in shock. Sarafina shrugged.
"You're the King. You can do what you want to solve the problem. And you could save so many lives. Fitter, younger lives, the older ones would only have died soon anyway." She said.
"I don't care. It would be wrong!" Kiava said. Sarafina looked him dead in the eye.
"Why?" She said. He balked.
"What do you mean why?" He said in confusion.
"Why is it wrong to kill, if it saves lives? If you can save ten lives by killing three, otherwise, five will die, leaving seven, isn't it better to kill the three weakest lives and improve the lives of the survivors?" She asked him. Kiava stared at her.
"Are you saying it is right?" He asked.
She shrugged. "You tell me. Is it right? Do the ends justify the means?" She said. Kiava hesitated. It was a simple question. So why was he taking so long to answer it. He felt like he was wrong no matter what he said.
"It is wrong." He said firmly.
"A valid belief. Why?" She asked.
"I… don't know." He said. She stood up.
"Then we are done here. Until you can tell me why it is or it isn't, we have nothing to discuss." She said, rising and leaving.
"Hey! You said you would teach me!" Kiava protested. Sarafina grinned for the first time.
"You just had your first lesson." She said and left. Kiava stared after her.
"Well… That was interesting." Zuri said, watching her leave. Kiava jumped.
"Oh, I forgot you were there." He said. Zuri scowled at her.
"Of course you did. The things I do for you. Sit still. Be quiet while the important royal stuff happens." She said, sourly. Kiava rubbed himself along her side.
"Don't be like that." He said, as she purred.
"Huh. What are you lovebirds up to?" A voice asked and they turned as saw Buzz coming towards them. Half a dozen spears now strapped to his back by a small vine.
"Lovebirds?" Zuri asked in confusion. "We're just talking."
"That 'rubbing' you're doing. I have seen other lions do it. You know. Mates."he said. Zuri and Kiava jumped apart.
"EEEW! That's gross!" Kiava said. He looked at Zuri.
"I am so sorry! I was just being friendly!" He said, but Zuri looked just as mortified. Then her eyes widened.
"Wait, how did you know they were mates?" She said. Buzz shrugged nervously.
"Never mind that. How was the lesson? I didn't think old Sarafina would be much of a teacher. What's she like?" Buzz asked. Kiava shrugged.
"She spent the first half lecturing me on reconciling power and responsibility and the second half trying to convince me to commit mass murder for the greater good." He said. Even saying it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Buzz gave a laugh.
"Oh goodness… I bet that must have been something to hear." He said. Then he saw What Zuri had been up to. The Rock was on its side. Zuri had been unable to push the rock, so instead had dug around it, using her paws to shove aside the dirt and mud and give the rock a point to pivot on. She had managed to roll it over on its self once and was in the process of filling back up the hole, ready to dig around it in another place and repeat the process. It was heavy, hard work and she was already panting heavily, having spent much of her energy.
Kiava sat down.
"Why? Why? Why is it wrong?" He asked himself. He was stumped. Over an hour later, Sarafina returned to them.
"Have you solved your conundrum yet?" She asked him when she arrived. Kiava looked guiltily.
"Not yet." He answered. She frowned.
"Oh well. You have plenty of time. You on the other paw are running out." She pointed at Zuri, who was busily maneuvering the rock out of the way as she had been asked. She blinked in surprise.
"Huh?"
"I thought you said you wanted to be of help? You're still struggling at that boulder? Oh, never mind, it's not too important… If it was mind you… Anyway – I will be going hunting shortly. Then we shall practice the more physical side of your training. If you do well in your attempt, then you can share the food – if not, then I am sure Ookai can rustle up some grubs for you." Kiava opened his mouth to protest. It didn't seem fair to withhold meat in order to train him. There were plenty of bugs so he wouldn't starve, but even so it seemed a harsh method of teaching. She watched him, as if expecting him to challenge her judgment, but he said nothing. He had asked her to train him. She had said she would. That meant he would have to allow her to do as she wanted. He nodded resolutely. He only had to do his best, in order to eat proper meat – and if not, he wouldn't starve.
Zuri was back at the boulder, pushing with all her strength to do as Sarafina had bid her. Kiava moved as if to help her, but she waved away his assistance.
"I am fine. You try to work out that thing you were puzzling over… I have this." She said.
Kiava was stuck…
He thought to all of the lessons Vitani had taught him. The Wisdom Rafiki had passed on. Danyal's stories and fables, even Inti's strange pips of advice and every word Sara and Zuri had ever spoken to him. It had never occurred to him that there might be a reason why things were wrong.
He thought to himself. He was capable of murdering Ookai. The thought repelled him, but only now did he examine why it repelled him.
I could use a hand here… He muttered to himself, half expecting a reply from the Kings of the past, though of course, he received none.
Why?
It seemed like such a strange question.
So, he sat in thought, thinking to himself, whilst behind him, Zuri grunted in frustration.
Hours later, Sarafina returned again. Zuri was lying to the side, exhausted, breathing heavily and her brow forming for the first time a kind of fringe from all of the sweat dripping down her brow. Her ice blue eyes shut peacefully as she rested in the Sun. Kiava sat to one side, also on the dusty ground, but his eyes were open and his claws unsheathed. He sheathed them and ejected him one after the other as his tail swished in the dirt. A tick of his.
"Well?" Sarafina barked. Zuri jerked her eyes open, not having heard her approached and Kiava stood up slowly. Sarafina eyes lingered on the boulder, now a safe distance from the centre of the glade, but she passed no comment. Even so, Zuri's eyes were bright, not with excitement (she was far too mature a lioness for that) but with triumph and achievement. Kiava stood up.
"You want to know why it is wrong to murder a few to save the many?" he asked her. Sarafina nodded.
"Why?" She asked him. Kiava paused for a moment. Then he spoke.
"Because some things are evil. Some actions are wrong. The slaughter of cubs, the razing of dens, the pointless massacre of herds. They are wrong. Because you should not survive at the expense of your friends, sisters and Pridemates." He said. Sarafina only held his gaze.
"Who says? Who determines that this is wrong?" She said. Kiava grinned.
"I do. I say it's cruel and wicked. Whatever you stand to gain, even if it is for the benefit of others, the destination does not wipe out the journey. Saving the life of a cub, is a worthy cause, but if it comes at the cost of thousands? No. It is better to allow the circle of life to turn." He said.
"Your answer is that 'Something's just are?'" She asked him incredulously.
"Yes. And I decide what those are. As King, I say what is wrong. If I allow other animals to commit evil without retribution, then they are not the wicked one, I am." He said.
"You are King, therefore you decide what is right?" She asked him.
"No. I decide what is right - and that is what makes me King. Power and Responsibility. I give people an excuse or a reason – depending on whether or not what I say is in fact true. And the whole of Circle benefits. If I decide an Action is wicked, then I stamp it out, and do what I can to prevent it. And Spirits help me if I get it wrong…" He said. Sarafina listened carefully.
"Then you become a tyrant – no, A God. You decide what is right, and force others to adhere to what you believe." She said. Kiava hesitated.
"No." He said. She blinked in surprise.
"What?"
"I decide what I think is right and if the Pridelands Prosper, then I continue. If they falter, then I am the first to suffer for it. Because it would be my fault. Every crime that I allowed to take place – because it suited me and only me – becomes my fault. I don't become a God. I become a sacrifice." he said. Sarafina. paused.
"And are you sure you still want to learn to be a King?" She asked him. Kiava nodded instantly.
"It is my right and my duty. I won't do it for power. I'll do it because it is what's right." He said firmly.
Finally Sarafina nodded.
"A good answer. You may yet be King, if you can think like that… But how then would you survive the crisis?" She said. Kiava shrugged.
"I wouldn't. At least, I wouldn't force the issue. I would continue with what was in place – because although it caused suffering, it would cause the least suffering, without making the entire situation worse. I would endure, work my hardest, and if I died because of it, then so be it. Eventually, the drought would pass, and the rains come again – no matter what the King does. One way or another. The only thing the King can do in the meantime, is do the best they can… and to never let go of the convictions that made the land what it was." Kiava said.
Sarafina listened carefully. It was truly strange to hear such words come out of the mouth of a cub. it seemed displaced. But then again, he wasn't trying to be a cub. In fact, he was actively trying to force himself into the mould and shape of a King. Doing what he could to reclaim his birthright. One look at him told her that. There were the shapes of a dozen different kings in his manner and his bearing. The first of which was Ahadi, that much was plain from his coat. Royal Gold, and midnight back fur. Only his eyes, a deep sapphire, were different. He valued responsibility and duty as well… in a manner which reminded her of Mufasa. There was the wild recklessness of Simba as well – which no doubt came from growing in the wilds… And deeper… there was a darker, haunted edge to his words. His easy acceptance of placing himself above his inferiors, the way his commands came easily, his eagerness for justice and the haunted, hallow look of one who had seen death… That came from Taka…
Could he alloy those together? Use it to fight Shai'tan? She would soon find out.
"Enter the middle of the glade." She said.
"Fighting… Fighting is different to hunting. When you hunt, your main weapon is stealth. You attack the prey before it knows you are there. When you fight, you opponent knows you are there. He is aware of you, your obvious weakness, he can gauge your strength, and usually, he is trying to claw out your throat. Their focus is not on flight, but on killing you. When you hunt, you try to wound, incapacitate, and kill at your leisure. The biggest difficulty will not be in killing, but in making sure you don't die first. That is the real contest." She said. Like last time, when she lectured, her voice became flat, emotionless. "Zuri. Come over here." She said.
Zuri looked up. She was exhausted from moving such a huge rock earlier.
"What do you want?" She said. Sarafina scowled at her.
"You said you would do whatever I said?" She reminded her. Zuri silently groaned, but nodded.
"Yes." She said meekly. Sarafina smiled slightly.
"Good. Come over here and stand like this." As she said, Zuri paced other and stood in front of her, facing Kiava. Without hurting her, but not to gently either, Sarafina maneuvered Zuri's legs in position so she was crouched on the ground.
"Try to push her over." Sarafina said. Kiava came over, and Zuri gave a slight snigger, as he leapt at her, and almost bounced off of her. Her weight was so close to the ground, he may as well have been pushing against a boulder. Kiava scowled.
Sarafina nodded.
"Now, see how her weight is balanced between all four limbs, but mainly the rear ones? You need to break that balance. In combat, you might want to break legs, or bite at paws – but we'll need her for quite a few lessons, so try not to damage her. Make her fall over. Zuri, don't defend yourself, he needs to be able to do this right." He said. Kiava and Zuri both nodded, and Kiava leapt at her again, this time focusing on one leg. She wobbled slightly, but stood firm.
"You're not moving rocks, your unbalancing a cutthroat! Scratch at her!" Sarafina snapped, annoyed. Zuri's eyes widened, as Kiava did as he was asked, and scratched at her leg. His claws were sharp, and scythed into her rear left leg. Three left angry red marks, and one drew the slightest fleck of blood, as he pressed his weight against her. She shouted in pain and alarm, and crashed to the ground. Kiava leapt up, shaken by her shout of pain, but she rose to her feet, blushed.
"I am fine!" She said, though angry waves of pain pulsed through the leg. Sarafina nodded.
"Again." She said. Kiava attacked again. Zuri was braced this time, and Kiava was more cautious of his blows, and she only let out a brief grunt, as she fell to the ground again with a loud thud.
"When you are fighting… everything is confused. Things move too fast. The world is a blur. The blood pounds in your ears and you can feel the turn of the earth. Time flows like lightning, and then slows to nothingness in the blink of an eye. Everything is chaos, and the only thing that exists is you and the person you are fighting. In such conditions, you need to rely on reflexes, not on thinking. Practice, is the key to this." Sarafina said again. Zuri panted, but Kiava nodded in agreement.
"Zuri – if she was not already – is now your best friend. There is nothing more valuable than what you commit to memory by training, day and night. And Zuri is your most effective teacher. This time, do what you want to try and steady yourself – though don't fight back. Kiava needs these skills to be by reflex. That way, he can fight offensively, without thinking, and spend the brainpower on blocking and defending against your opponent. There are no fancy tricks or skills. You win a fight by hitting your opponent, and not getting hit in exchange. This will teach you to do the first by reflex and put your all into the second." She explained again.
Zuri wobbled on her feet. After only a few minutes, she was tired – though Kiava had done nothing all day but think and puzzle, whilst she had exhausted herself on the movement of a rock. Sarafina turned to her.
"Keep practicing until I say stop and don't let up. Try not to injure one another, but use whatever tactics you need to in order to bring her down." The intonations were clear. To what you need to. Hurt her if you need to. Kiava gulped, and Zuri sighed wearily. She was already exhausted.
"Come one then." She said. As Kiava again, fought her for a few moments, before flinging her into the dust again.
This continued for quite a while. Zuri stood up, set herself in the strongest position she could, and Kiava did all he could to bring her down. Using force and skill as much as he could. He dived under her, and attacked a leg she had neglected with his jaws sending shivers of pain through her as his teeth nibbled away. He charged at her flank, before slamming both paws into the side of her head, which left her seeing stars for a good few minutes.
Each time, the two got up and continued. The practice was hot and sticky work. After a few hours, a dozen lumps had swollen up around Zuri's body, countless purple/grey bruises covered her side, and a few pockets of red tissue betrayed when the skin had broken. Only in two places was the damage severe enough to bleed, and that caused Sarafina to growl in frustration.
"I said not to Injure! You're not to cause actual harm. Not yet at any rate." She said which sent shivers down Zuri's spine. The few places she was bleeding were of little concern to Zuri. She was more concerned with the myriad pockets of aches and pains around her that would make sitting a trial for days.
At one point, Kiava had protested and asked to stop, but Sarafina had only looked at Zuri sternly, and asked if she had enough. Zuri had refused. She was determined to be useful in any way she could and if all she could do was fall over every few seconds to help Kiava practice, that was what she would do. That at least, seemed to have impressed Sarafina, because she had said nothing about the great big boulder which was now out of their way. Sarafina ordered them to stop.
She moved other to Zuri and looked careful.
"The other way of unbalancing, it to lift them. To get under a limb, and lift it, unbalances the remaining three legs. Dodge her blows, and get under a leg, then lift upwards and twist. Either she falls, or her leg is sprained, broken, or dislocated. I'd suggest falling." She said. And so the trials continued, on after the other, with Sarafina suggesting different techniques and tactics, and catching Kiava repeat the process four dozen times, on Zuri, who stood up and took the punishment. Buzz came to watch a few times, but glared at Sarafina, before leaving after watching Kiava perform a move which left Zuri flat on her back.
By sunset, Kiava was practicing pinning – the final step after knocking an enemy to the ground (before severing their windpipe at any rate).
"Go!" Sarafina said, as Kiava ducked under Zuri's half hearted swipe. She moved to the right, getting her legs firmed back on the ground, grounding herself again, and when Kiava struck at her leg, she stood firm. She swiped – to distract and befuddle – and he took a glancing blow to the head. He circled back, and ducked under again. He struck at the second leg, his claws scratching a previous injury causing new bursts of pain, and she stumbled back. Straight onto his shoulder, as he weaved under her paws like a termite in the dust, and jumped upwards, striking at her rear flank as he did so. Yet again, she tumbled to the ground unable to suppress a whimper as sharp pain laced her cream coat, landed on her back. She lifted her paws, but he was on top of her, pinning both her paws flat against the ground with his own. Her own neck exposed, his jaws darted down ready to close around her neck, to bit out her throat and let her blood spill out onto the dust! He stopped his movement, an inch from her neck, and his teeth snapped around thin air.
They were both breathing so heavily, that their chests heaved and rose in rhythm like the waves of an ocean, their fur bristling against each other, pale cream, and royal gold. For a brief moment, they lay like that, one on top of the other, each exhausted, each tired, and aching and sweating and wheezing and bruised. Her gaze lingered on his for just the briefest of a moment, his tuft of jet black hair slicked back by sweat and fatigue. Then he stepped off her, and she crawled to her feet, nursing her wrists, where his paws had crushed them into the ground.
"Gotcha." he muttered, though his heart was no long in it. Zuri sighed. Sarafina looked at the pair of them, and decided that was enough for one day. Tomorrow it would get harder. She took half of gazelle and stripped meat from it and passed it to Kiava, who devoured it greedily. Zuri waited expectantly. And blinked in surprise when Sarafina made no move to other her any food. Instead, Sarafina began chomping down the rest of meat, and had finished in a heartbeat.
"What about me?" Zuri asked. Sarafina blinked in surprise.
"The Meat was for Kiava – for doing well in his first lessons. You weren't the one being taught." She said. Kiava frowned – looking guilty, since he had devoured his meat before waiting to see if Zuri would take some, assuming she would also be fed for her assistance. He scowled.
"That's not fair!" He and she said at the same time. Sarafina gave a quiet growl.
"You did nothing today other than let Kiava practice against you, and move a rock. Kiava is learning the ways of ruling and leading. The two are hardly of equal value, Zuri, and I only caught the one Gazelle. I am sure Ookai and Bruce can get you a few bugs… In fact, they promised as much." Zuri scowled at the thought of more bugs, though Sarafina seemed to be amused. She shook her head.
"Why on earth…"
"Remember lesson one?" She said.
Kiava groaned. He had a feeling this would be difficult. Sarafina seemed convinced she could teach him to be a king, but it seemed a cruel trick to play on Zuri, with very little benefit as far as he could see. In fact, as useful as he lessons had been, she had shown a clear disregard for Zuri from the outset, focusing solely on Kiava's training, even only allowing Zuri to participate at her insistence. Zuri scowled again.
"I did everything you asked me to!" She said. And quite a bit more too… She thought, thinking about the hundreds of bruises and cuts which would keep her awake tonight. Sarafina only shrugged.
"You said you'd do that to be useful, if I let you take part in the lessons… I didn't make any agreement involving hunting for you. I am Kiava's teacher, not your mother. And you already agreed to do whatever I asked of you without whining or complaining." She said. Zuri sighed, and nodded, before leaving to find Ookai.
"Oh… fine." She said.
"Oh, Zuri!" Sarafina said. "Would you mind doing one more thing, before you go to sleep tonight?"
"What?" Zuri said, trying not to sound annoyed. She understood Sarafina's position, but that did not mean she had to like it.
"If you would please put that boulder back into place. We'll need it for tomorrow – and I am shattered. Put it back when you found it?" She said.
Zuri cursed, and quietly suggested an alternative location for Sarafina's precious boulder.
But, without audibly complaining, later that evening, she spent more than an hour, moving that same blasted boulder back in its original position. It could have taken a great deal longer…She thought to herself if I was doing it by myself… Aching, bruised, bleeding in a few places, and tired beyond belief though they were, two pairs of eyes gleamed in the night air. Zuri glanced at Kiava as his muscles strained against the boulder. Working together, they put it back in place in double time. He gave her a soft smile as they crept to where Bruce and Ookai slept. And mercifully, Sarafina was nowhere in sight.
Aching, tired, and battered – some more than others – they fell asleep instantly. Kiava gave a shiver as he thought to himself. Well… At least we are getting somewhere… If being a King wasn't hard, then they would all be doing it.
AN:
Not much to add here. What do you think of Sarafina? Her methods of training will be rigorous, and she is not just training Kiava to fight, but also to think, and question, evaluate and justify. Not just how to lead, but how to rule.
Don't mistake her conundrums for her own opinions, she would probably not take such drastic action in such crisis herself, but she also want Kiava to understand that life will not tell you if you made the right or wrong choice. Instead she teaches him responsibility and consequences. I think she is an excellent teacher.
There were also a few tense moments between Kiava and Zuri there… I guess they are getting a little older…
Anyhow – good luck and good night everone.
Haradion