Chapter 14
The Shell's Bad Omen
Hatari and Zazu arrived at Pride Rock together, after the bird had discovered him feeding the hyenas. They were both very quiet and barely said anything to each other on the way back home.
Thembi was sitting next to Karanga, who had been trying to come up with names for her cubs in case they turned out to be females. He looked up when he heard Hatari approaching.
"Did you clean yourself at the water hole?" Thembi asked when he saw Hatari coming nearer.
Karanga looked up, puzzled, wondering why Thembi would send Hatari to the waterhole for a bath.
"Was he that dirty?" Karanga asked.
"You have no idea," replied Thembi, looking stern.
"I am sorry, Father. I fell asleep before I cleaned up myself," Hatari lied.
Zazu coughed. "Well, your majesty, I am going to get some rest, it has been a long day..." he said.
"All right, Zazu, sleep well and see you tomorrow," Thembi replied. He might have noticed that something was bothering Zazu, but the King had been looking at Karanga's tummy instead.
"Have you found a nice name yet?" he asked.
"Not yet, I have some ideas but I still cannot make up my mind..." she replied.
Hatari looked at the two of them. They could almost pass as a normal happy couple, sitting together like that and discussing their cub's names, he thought.
Karanga had to admit that she felt a slight change in Thembi, ever since their last talk at the three rocks. He still kept to himself, but was less prone to snap and snarl at her.
Hatari decided to leave them alone, and walked away, heading for his ledge. The southern ledge had become his home, as he didn't feel welcome or comfortable in the cave any more.
As he walked, he spotted Sarafina nearby.
The lioness was resting while Mahali played beside her. The little cub was pretending to be a great huntress, one that could bring down buffaloes all on her own. As she played, she noticed Hatari was approaching.
"Look, Finnie! Here comes Scar!" the young cub shouted and ran to Sarafina's side, seeking her protection.
"Don't call him that, Mahali," Sarafina reprimanded her.
"Why not? Everyone else calls him that..."
"It's not nice. How would you like it if we called you names?"
Hatari had heard them, and came closer. "It's not like 'Hatari' is a big improvement," he said softly, "She can call me Scar, if she wants."
Both lionesses remained silent and watched as Hatari disappeared as fast as he had come.
Mahali shuddered. "He scares me... King Thembi says I have to stay away from him," she whispered.
Sarafina nodded. "He told us the same thing when we were younger, too. But yet Hatari has never tried to harm us..." she replied, feeling a bit of pity towards Hatari.
Mahali shrugged and rubbed against Sarafina's body. "Anyway, I don't like him much. It's good I have you and mom to protect me!" she said.
Sarafina smiled and kissed the small lioness. "We all protect each other, always. That's one of the rules of the pride..."
Mahali looked at Sarafina. "You seem to know a lot about the pride... Will I learn sometime too?" she asked.
Sarafina chuckled. "Of course you will, Mahali. As you grow older you will understand better how things work around here. We are like a big team where we all work together, we share our food, shelter and protection."
Mahali nodded. "I understand..." she said looking at the ground thoughtfully for a while. Then she looked up again and asked, "Sarafina, since you are very smart... Will you be the next queen of the Pride Lands?"
Sarafina looked at Mahali with wide eyes. "Who, me?" She laughed a bit. "I don't think so... What brought this up, anyway?" she asked, curious.
"The other day I heard King Thembi talking to Mufasa, and they mentioned something about him having to choose a new Queen sometime... But I couldn't hear anything else."
Sarafina looked at the cub and smiled slightly. "I see... But no, Mahali. I am sure Sarabi will be the next Queen... She and Mufasa seem to like each other very much," Sarafina said. She looked away for a moment, thoughtfully.
Mahali tilted her head with curiosity, and, giggling for a moment, she whispered in Sarafina's ear, "Do you like him too, Finnie?"
"Mahali! That's none of your business!" Sarafina told the cub, who was staring at her intently with her big brown eyes.
Mahali smiled at Sarafina's reaction and said, "Oooo... You like him too!"
Sarafina rolled her eyes, while Mahali giggled helplessly.
After a few seconds, Sarafina replied, "Okay, I may like him a little bit, but that's all. It's not like I'm in love with him or anything. Now don't you go telling anyone about this, understood?"
Mahali grinned and nodded. "I'll keep my muzzle shut," she answered and lied down next to Sarafina.
The two lionesses were still chatting animatedly when Anasa showed up. She walked straight to Sarafina and her daughter.
"Thanks for watching over her, Finnie," Anasa said, nuzzling her pride-mate.
"Anytime!" Sarafina replied, "Mahali is a great cub and she behaves very well..."
Mahali smiled. "See, mom? Told you I wouldn't get into trouble!"
Anasa chuckled. "All right, honey, let's go back to the cave. Are you coming with us, Finnie?" Anasa said as she started walking back.
Sarafina shook her head. "You go ahead, I'll catch up with you in a bit..."
"All right," she replied and continued walking with her cub, leaving Sarafina alone for a while.
She couldn't help but smile when she recalled Mahali's questions about Mufasa. Was it that obvious that she had some feelings for him? She trusted that Mufasa had not noticed anything, but now she was not so sure.
"Sarafina, Queen of the Pride Lands... I like the sound of that..." she whispered with her eyes closed. She did like Mufasa, perhaps more than she should, because she knew very well that Sarabi was crazy about him, and Mufasa returned the feeling.
Sarafina knew that Mufasa liked her too, but the way his face lit up when Sarabi was around... That was enough for Sarafina to know that the next Queen of the Pride Lands would be Sarabi, and nobody else.
Sighing again, she stood up and started walking back to Pride Rock, thinking of Mufasa, and how handsome he would look as soon as his mane had grown completely.
A few days later, Rafiki was at the top of his tree, trying to comprehend some of the symbols the tortoise shell was showing him. Some of them were quite new, and he was having a little trouble in finding their meaning. He studied the figures carefully, one by one, until things started to become a little bit clearer. He seemed to be worried about what he was seeing, and, after a few minutes, he seemed to understand what the new symbols were about. They meant something really important.
"It all makes sense now... I must talk to Thembi at once!" he told himself and, gathering his staff, he dropped out of the tree.
Rafiki knew that something bad was going to happen... but he didn't know exactly what it was. Still, through one of the symbols he knew he had to warn Thembi, and this warning involved his second son.
Rafiki didn't like to talk much about what the future would bring, unless it was absolutely necessary. But the symbols in the shell had been very clear this time, he had to talk to the King.
The baboon headed to Pride Rock, walking slowly, thoughtfully, trying to think on how he would tell what he needed to say to Thembi.
In the meantime, Hatari was standing by the entrance of the cave, looking hesitant. He had met the hyenas a couple of times during the past few days, but they looked in bad shape. All three of them had lost weight, and Hatari had not been able to catch anything bigger than a gopher for them.
The lion eyed the lionesses' most recent kill, doubtfully.
"It wouldn't be stealing, if I donate my share of the food to them..."
He pondered about this and decided that he would skip dinner tonight, and give his share to the hyenas instead.
Hatari knew Zazu was away with Thembi and Mufasa, and the lionesses had gone to the waterhole for a drink. There was no one in sight, so very carefully, he sneaked towards the hunt, and snatched a bone with a lot of meat on it still.
He ran as fast as he could towards the northern border, holding the bone tight in his muzzle.
He arrived at the graveyard, and walked between the elephant bones and skulls, feeling no fear at all. He had learned to know the place and felt more at home.
Some older hyenas noticed the smell of an intruder and, guided by their sense of smell, they found Hatari in just a matter of minutes. They were licking their chops and whispering among themselves about how delicious that lion would be, but they looked disappointed after they found out it was only Hatari, Akili's and Shenzi's protégé. They walked away muttering things about befriending lions, but most of all, they were jealous of how Hatari always seemed to bring food to Shenzi and her siblings.
"Hey, Hatari! Cool to see you, pal!" Banzai greeted him, when Hatari approached their den.
"Well, here I am..." Hatari replied, dropping the bone he had been carrying at Shenzi's feet.
The three hyenas devoured it in no time.
Another group of hyenas that had been watching Hatari closely, were now very amazed to see that the lion and Shenzi were in speaking terms. They walked to the hyena youngsters and addressed Shenzi politely.
"Hey, Shenzi... you actually know Scar?" one of them asked.
"Scar?", sniggered Shenzi, "Sure I do! He's our pal. So if you thought you were going to have him as dinner, well, you're wrong. Hatari is allowed to roam around the graveyard. I thought everyone knew about this already!"
"Hatari?" asked the older hyena.
"I mean Scar. Er, his real name's Hatari." replied Shenzi.
The older hyenas, four in total, looked at Shenzi with curiosity. "How in the world did you manage to get a lion on our side?"
Shenzi shrugged. "He just showed up one day... And he kept on coming. He didn't rat us out to Thembi, and he's been bringing us food since... well, since that day."
Hatari looked at her, puzzled.
The four hyenas understood what she was talking about and nodded silently.
One of them approached Hatari.
The lion felt a little nervous, but he still tried to smile at the approaching hyena.
"If you're Shenzi's friend," the hyena said, "Then we're cool."
Hatari grinned. "That's good to know," he said, as more hyenas started gathering around Shenzi, trying to get a closer look at Hatari.
The older hyena nodded, but added in a gravely tone, "Just don't mess it up. If you become her enemy, we are your enemies also."
Hatari nodded, finding the hyena's threat out of place. Why in the world would he become Shenzi's enemy?
The four hyenas walked away after patting Shenzi's head and licking her.
"Yeah, yeah, move along now! Damn, I hate all this extra licking I'm getting lately..." she muttered.
Hatari looked at them as they disappeared between some old rib cages. He turned to Shenzi, feeling curious.
"They really hold your opinion in very high regard, don't they? Imagine how it will be when you become the leader of the pack? They'll do anything for you!"
Shenzi let out a fake chuckle and looked away.
Hatari went on, "I always found it weird, when Akili told me that you girls get to be the boss around here..."
"What's wrong with that?" Shenzi asked.
"Females can't be leaders, they're made for hunting! Banzai should be the one leading your pack!" he teased her.
Banzai let out a loud laugh and his chest swelled with pride. "You see, sis? Hatari surely knows what's good!"
Shenzi chuckled. "Yeah right, you ant brain."
Turning to Hatari, she said, "That whole thing about males ruling and females hunting is a rule in your society, Hatari. Here, everyone hunts, regardless of their gender. But yeah... Us females run the joint. Right, Banzai?" she asked, sticking her tongue out at her brother.
Banzai nodded. "Unfortunately, yes..." he replied sighing melodramatically, "that's why the Pride Lands flourish, while our nice little graveyard is going to the dogs, I tell ya..."
Hatari chuckled. He found it most intriguing, the idea of a matriarchal society. He had to laugh when he pictured his own pride like that; the lionesses lying around while Thembi and Mufasa did all the hunting.
The lion kept asking questions about the hyenas and their traditions, which the two hyenas were happy to answer.
Far away from there, back at Pride Rock, Thembi had returned from a long discussion with the elephants, about the three cheetahs, who were now making mischief in their territory.
The King was feeling hungry, so he headed straight for the pride's hunt. He noticed that quite a chunk of meat had disappeared, and he could find a few traces of blood, as if someone had dragged the meat for a few meters. The trail disappeared a few meters ahead.
Thembi was having trouble following the scent. His sense of smell kept getting confused, since all the lionesses of the pride roam there often. There were too many scents at once.
The King walked to the lionesses, who were sitting nearby, enjoying the nice weather. They looked up when they saw Thembi approaching them, and frowned when they saw he looked angry.
"Somebody has taken some of the food we were saving for tonight!" he said sternly, "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on the food?"
They looked at each other nervously. Kuuliza stood up and faced Thembi.
"We're very sorry, your Highness... It must have happened when we went for a drink at the water hole..." Kuuliza explained.
The lion grunted and looked around, noticing Hatari was nowhere to be seen, while he usually lingered nearby when it was close to dinner time.
Thembi narrowed his eyes, wondering if his younger son had anything to do with the disappearance of the food.
The King called Zazu, who came flying in rather quickly.
"What can I do for you, Sire?" the bird asked, bowing.
"Someone stole food from our reserves. You didn't happen to see anything, did you?"
Zazu swallowed. "No, sire, I was with you most of the morning, and after that I went straight to Rafiki, like you asked me to..."
Thembi nodded. "Would you please look for Hatari, Zazu? I have a feeling this has to do with him..." the King replied seriously.
Thembi's assumption was that Hatari, not being content with being the last one to eat, had resorted to stealing food.
"Certainly, Sire. I'll look for him right away." Zazu said, knowing perfectly that it had been Hatari the one who took the food. He must be feeding the hyenas again. He slightly moved his head in disapproval and took off, heading without a second thought towards the northern border.
"Hatari is in trouble now... if he has gone back with the hyenas, I will be obliged to tell Thembi about it... he had promised not to steal again..." Zazu thought.
Thembi was in a foul mood, pacing inside the cave back and forth. He looked up when he heard Rafiki calling his name.
"Thembi, are you there?" Rafiki asked.
"Yes, Rafiki, come on in," Thembi replied looking towards the entrance of the cavern. He could only descry the silhouette of the baboon, but as he came closer, his features became visible. He looked very worried.
"I must speak to you, Thembi, it is very urgent." Rafiki said.
Thembi tilted his head with curiosity. "Urgent? Did something happen?"
Rafiki motioned Thembi to sit down, and said, "Thembi, you must promise me you will listen with an open mind..."
Thembi shrugged and sat down beside the baboon. "What is it, Rafiki? You're intriguing me..." he said, his curiosity taking over his bad mood for a moment.
Rafiki sighed and cleared his throat. "Thembi..." he said, trying to put his ideas in order, "The shell has revealed important things to me this morning..."
Thembi remained silent as he listened to Rafiki's words of wisdom.
"Thembi... I don't know how to put this so I will just say it bluntly... I am afraid that you have made a terrible mistake."
The king frowned. "Mistake? What do you mean?" the lion asked, suspecting already this would have something to do with Hatari.
"You have chosen the wrong path..." Rafiki said.
Thembi looked confused, not understanding what Rafiki was saying. "Enough with the riddles, just tell me what is going on, Rafiki."
Rafiki looked at the King and said, "I am talking about your attitude towards your younger son..."
"I knew it!" he snapped, "Not this discussion again, please!" Thembi said, becoming angry and standing up. He walked a few paces away.
"Thembi, you must listen to me," Rafiki pleaded, "just hear what I have to say..."
Thembi sighed. "So what is it this time?" he said, exasperated.
Rafiki swallowed hard. "Thembi, you must make peace with your son. You must accept the fact that he is innocent, and he didn't cause his mother's death. The shell confirmed it!" he said.
"Have you ever paused to think that that stupid shell of yours can be wrong? Or that you are somehow misreading the signs? How can you believe everything it says?" Thembi asked angrily.
"Have I ever been wrong, Thembi?" the baboon asked, looking into Thembi's eyes.
The lion looked away, knowing very well that Rafiki had made no mistakes in his predictions so far.
Rafiki paused for an instant, but went on, "Thembi, your son is suffering greatly... He has tried to please you, and the only thing he got in return was your hate and harshness..."
"That cub deserved every bit of it and more," Thembi growled. "Besides what happened with his mother, he is a disobedient lion who disregards our Pride's rules. I am quite sure he's stealing our food now, and he had contact with the hyenas and didn't notify me of their whereabouts..." he added bitterly.
Rafiki shook his head. "Thembi, you're not being reasonable here... The cub was lonely, he would have befriended ants if he had been given the chance. Can't you understand that?" he asked.
Thembi turned to Rafiki staring at him with wild eyes. "You know what happened last time our ancestors befriended hyenas and allowed them into the Pride Lands. You dare to ask me what's wrong with Hatari meeting one and not telling me about it?" he half-snarled.
Rafiki felt more disappointed by Thembi's attitude than intimidated, but he kept trying. "Well, that was a long time ago, perhaps its time to move on. Your younger son-"
"My one and only son is Mufasa!" Thembi interrupted, showing his teeth to Rafiki, "He really is a remarkable lion. Intelligent, responsible, he cares for the kingdom-"
Rafiki tilted his head. "And what makes you think Hatari doesn't have those qualities too? You don't know him well enough to pass judgement like that."
Thembi looked at Rafiki, who was as calm as if they had been discussing the weather, while he was feeling like a volcano about to erupt.
The king took deep breaths to try and calm himself.
"I think..." Rafiki continued, "I think that you should spend more time with Hatari, and learn to know him a little bit more. Teach him the ways of the kingdom, teach him about the balance in the Circle of Life...I am sure your poor son's head must be full of questions and doubts... I think he could benefit from a conversation with you every now and then, and so would you."
Thembi sighed, closing his eyes tightly, while listening to Rafiki's words.
The baboon continued, "I know you love Mufasa dearly, and that you have taught him many things. I am sure he will be a great king one day, but... Maybe Hatari has other qualities that Mufasa lacks."
"Like what? Mention one quality that Mufasa lacks, but the other one has!" Thembi replied bitterly.
"Hatari is open minded," Rafiki replied quickly and without hesitation, not caring if Thembi would get mad at what he was about to say. "The best example is that Hatari was able to see past all the hatred between species that has been passed on from generation to generation. That, my dear Thembi, is one of the greatest qualities, and, unfortunately, Mufasa, as well as you, lack it.
Thembi wanted to say something to the baboon, but the words were stuck in his throat. He just stared at the ground, thoughtfully.
Rafiki took a deep breath, letting it escape in a loud sigh. "Thembi... Hatari desperately needs your guidance... Please, for one time in your life, accept that you have made a mistake."
Thembi shook his head. He remained silent, closing his eyes tightly.
"Rafiki... I don't know if I can accept him..." he said at last, "I don't want to be near him, just the thought of it drives me insane..." he said, feeling deeply lost in confusion.
Rafiki smiled slightly. He patted the lion on the back and said, "Start easy. Say hello to him, or ask him how his day was, or invite him eat to along with the lionesses..."
Thembi cringed at the thought of being friendly to Hatari. "I won't be able to do that, Rafiki. My hate for that cub has grown bigger than the love I could had ever felt for him..."
"Did you ever feel any love for him, at all?" Rafiki asked.
Thembi shook his head. "Not a bit, Rafiki. He took away my most precious treasure, my Kitok..."
Rafiki twisted his mouth slightly and said, "Thembi, That was a long time ago... Your sons are even starting to grow a mane already, and you are still blinded by what happened in the past... I know that it is pointless to tell you that Hatari is not guilty for Kitok's death. Still, you could try to put that aside and, well, if I could call it like this, forgive your younger son."
Thembi sighed again, recalling Kitok's death and how much he had hated Hatari since then. It seemed impossible for him to put aside his current feelings for his younger son. It would be a very hard thing to do.
"Thembi," Rafiki said, "When your son comes back today, just ask him if he had a nice day... That would be good for a start, don't you think?"
Thembi swallowed. "I don't know... I am not sure about this..." the lion muttered, lying down on the ground thoughtfully.
Rafiki smiled and he continued talking with Thembi about what he could tell his son and tried to give him courage to leave his hate behind and move on.
Zazu arrived at the northern border and he could see the elephant graveyard nearby. It didn't take him long to find Hatari and the two hyenas chatting together, while a third hyena gnawed at a bone... the bone that was missing from the lions' hunt. Zazu frowned as he approached them and he landed beside Hatari.
"Zazu!" Hatari exclaimed surprised.
The bird looked at him, looking very serious.
"Your father sent me to find you. He could see that someone had stolen meat from the hunt. You had promised not to steal food and bring it to the hyenas any more!" Zazu said sounding a bit angry.
Shenzi and Banzai started circling Zazu menacingly.
"I didn't steal any meat Zazu," Hatari said, "I gave the hyenas my own share. I was planning to skip dinner tonight."
Zazu blinked for a moment. "Well, as noble as your intentions were, your father knows you took the food without permission, and wants to see you right away. He will question you about this, and I can't cover up for you any longer."
"Yes, you can. Just tell father you couldn't find me or the meat, and I'll think of something. Zazu, please, just do this one thing for me... Please?" Hatari begged.
Zazu sighed, clearly hesitating about what was the right thing to do.
Hatari felt tears coming to his eyes. "Zazu, I will do whatever you want, I'll get you some worms for breakfast, I'll do anything! Just don't tell father I took my share of the meat and brought it here..." he said as his voice started to break.
Zazu sighed. "The King hired me to keep him informed about everything that happened inside his kingdom... And I think this is very important, Hatari, you shouldn't be hanging around with hyenas to begin with..." he said.
"Please..." Hatari begged once more.
Zazu looked at him. The lion stared at him intently. "If your father finds out I have been lying to him because of you, he will fire me for sure..."
Hatari looked away. "Fine, go tell him then and keep your job. Make sure to write a nice little speech for my funeral, too."
Zazu sighed and finally gave in. "Fine, I won't tell Thembi I found you here, but I think you need some serious disciplining!" he added.
Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, who had been listening to the conversation, approached the bird even more.
Growling at Zazu's face, Shenzi snarled, "We don't like you very much. Don't show up around here again, cause next time you might not live to go back and suck up to Thembi."
"Promise you won't tell anything!" Banzai said as he stepped on the bird's tail, to prevent him from flying away.
"Let me go! Don't touch me!" Zazu said indignantly.
"Promise you won't tell anything, or it's the birdie boiler for you!" Shenzi insisted.
"The birdie boiler?" Zazu asked.
The hyenas pointed to the geysers that would shoot out hot, scalding vapour every so often.
"Fine! I promise, I promise!" Zazu said fearfully.
"Now that's a good lad," Shenzi said, as she ruffled the feathers on his head with her paw, and pinched Zazu's cheek rather hard.
The hyenas released Zazu, who flew away from their reach, rubbing his cheek with his wing.
"Zazu, so you won't tell anything to Father?" Hatari asked, hopeful.
"I won't. But keep your filthy bodyguards away from me!"
Hatari nodded and looked grateful.
"Don't take too long to come home. Your father was so angry he might already be looking for you himself," the bird said, still looking upset.
Hatari nodded. "Thanks..."
Zazu took off and headed back to Pride Rock, hoping Thembi wouldn't find out that he was lying to cover for Hatari.
Shenzi sat down beside Hatari after the bird had left. "You really think he won't tell on you?" she asked.
Hatari thought for an instant, and then smiled, "He won't. He just wants to scare me I guess... Zazu was always friendly towards me, he talked to me once in a while... I don't think he would want Father to hurt me."
Banzai, still snarling, said, "Yeah, that's all nice and peachy, but what if he does tell?"
Hatari sighed. "Who knows what Father would do then..." he said, feeling a bit afraid. But he trusted that Zazu wouldn't tell anything to Thembi.
Hatari lied down for a while, waiting for his nerves to calm down. He wanted to appear calm and nonchalant by the time he returned to Pride Rock.
The hyenas looked at him, and Shenzi whispered in Banzai's ear, "I am sure that bird will spill the beans... I don't trust him."
"Same here," Banzai replied, "and Hatari is going be in deep trouble..."
Ed laughed for several seconds.
"So you agree too, huh?" Banzai asked, turning to Ed. Ed simply looked back at him, his tongue lolling out.
The hyenas fell silent, thinking on what kind of punishment Thembi would give to Hatari.
"I am glad you have decided to talk to him for a bit," Rafiki said, patting Thembi's back and getting ready to go back to his tree.
"Don't expect a long conversation," Thembi said. He didn't smile, but he didn't show any signs of anger either.
Rafiki chuckled. "I know you will feel better after you talk to him. Hatari is a very special cub..." Rafiki said.
Thembi heard a noise outside the cave and turned to see what it was. He saw Zazu standing by the cavern's entrance.
"I have returned, Sire," he said, a little nervously.
Thembi turned to him. "Well? Did you find Hatari? Is he with you?"
Zazu swallowed. "No, sire, I couldn't find him..."
"Okay... Thanks for trying." Thembi walked away, looking annoyed. He stopped on his tracks all of a sudden, and his eyes opened wide. "Wait a minute..." he muttered.
The bird started shaking suddenly when he noticed that Thembi was staring at him intently. Zazu suddenly recalled that Shenzi and Banzai had both touched him at some point; the King must have picked up on their smell.
Zazu panicked as he thought, "The hyena smell! How didn't I think about that sooner?" He realized his lie was exposed now.
Thembi started snarling loudly. "Why do you smell of hyena? Hatari was with the hyenas again, wasn't he?"
Rafiki looked at the two of them desperately, seeing all the progress that he had made tonight with Thembi was fading rather quickly.
Zazu began stuttering, "Well... I- I, sire-"
"Tell me, Zazu! Is he with the hyenas? Did they steal our food?" Thembi insisted.
Zazu felt suddenly afraid and nodded slowly, "H-Hatari donated his share to them, S-Sire..." he said, swallowing hard.
Thembi roared as loud as he had never done before. "I told him not to see them again! And he dared to disobey me, AGAIN!"
Rafiki approached Thembi and try to calm him. "Thembi, please calm down, things won't get any better if you yell..."
Thembi ignored Rafiki, his judgement clouded by his anger.
"Just wait until that bunch of bones comes here, you just wait...", he growled, kicking the ground angrily with one paw, and forgetting everything about the conversation he and Rafiki had just had a few minutes ago.
Even the lionesses, who were all lying outside, could hear Thembi was upset. They approached the cave, curious. Karanga was the only one who dared to walk in.
"What's going on here?", she said, looking at Rafiki and Thembi.
"It's your beloved Hatari again! He has disobeyed for the last time, mark my words!" Thembi replied, snarling at her.
"Why? What happened?" she asked, but Thembi didn't reply. He was lost in his thoughts, snarling, and scratching one of his paws madly on the cave's floor.
Seeing that she wouldn't obtain any coherent reply from him at this point, Karanga turned to Rafiki for an explanation.
The two of them walked out of the cave together, as the baboon explained to Karanga what had just happened.
Karanga felt disappointed, not at the fact that Hatari had befriended and fed the hyenas, more at the fact that he never trusted her enough to share his huge secret with her, and that the lion had to carry this burden all by himself.
The Queen kept guard near Pride Rock, so that she could alert Hatari about Thembi's anger as soon as he returned home.