Cubhood: Chapter 4
When Taka woke up the next day, dawn had just passed, and most of the other Pridemates had yet to stir from their rest. The dark brown cub climbed to his feet and stretched, then padded over to where his mother and father lay on the raised dais of the den, occupied solely by the royal family.
"Dad." He said quietly, nudging his father. Ahadi stirred. The great golden lion opened his eyes for a moment, and settled on Taka.
"Yes…?" He asked slowly. Taka jumped up and down.
"Can I go and play with some of the other cubs now? It's daylight…" He pleaded. Ahadi yawned, bleary eyed.
"Hmmm. Okay. But only if you take Zuzu with you." Ahadi said.
Damn.
Taka sighed, but nodded. Better Zuzu than one of the lionesses. He left the den quickly, and climbed about Pride Rock. He liked his home, as it was always easy to find a craggy outcrop of rocks to climb about on or to sharpen one's claws against. Climbing about the backside of Pride Rock, he leapt from rock to rock, attempting to avoid touching the ground as he did so, until he'd made his way to his destination. Perched on a small branch of vegetation, was a petite, purple bird. The violet hornbill was asleep, her feathers puffed up, her chest rising and falling slightly as she sat in her nest. The King's majordomo. There was no better majordomo in the Pridelands. Zuzu was attentive, loyal, and above all "usefully nosey" as Ahadi had eloquently described her. She was also an able organiser. Each day she'd complete a circuit of a section of the Pridelands, and return before morning was over, to relay anything useful or relevant to the King. The locations of the herds for which hunting parties made their forays were – more often than not – divined from Zuzu's intelligence. But more importantly the feel and attitudes of the various species of the Pridelands were most often obtained from Zuzu's morning reports. Disputes and clashes between various species were inevitable in the Pridelands, and the King's role as a leader to so many made it the King's duty to be aware of any such disputes. If left unattended the selfish actions of such animals could unbalance the circle of life in the Pridelands.
Whatever that meant.
Taka watched the sleeping hornbill for a few moments, wondering if she'd wake up. Then he became bored.
"Zuzu!" He shouted, and Zuzu gave a squawk of surprise and abject terror, as she awoke to the sight of a young lion's face, teeth bared pressed up close to her.
"EEEEEEEPPP!" She spluttered and flew up into the air like a bullet. She circled around as Taka rolled on the ground laughing, and landed on the branch with a huff.
"Now Master Taka! Such actions are unbecoming of a Prince of the Pridelands!" She scolded him indignantly. Taka stopped laughing and smiled apologetically.
"I am sorry Zuzu! But you were sleeping and it was just too tempting not to!" He said. Zuzu made a noise, clearly unimpressed. Even so, she gathered herself.
"I trust," She spoke sharply, in a disapproving tone, "that you didn't just wake me up in such an inelegant manner solely for the benefit of your amusement?" She asked him.
Taka nodded. "Mufasa and I, and probably some friends, too, are going to go out and play in the southern savannah today." He said. Zuzu nodded.
"I see. And I imagine the King has assigned me to keep an eye on you?" She asked him. Taka winced.
"You don't mind, do you? Otherwise we'll have to wait for Mother to get up, and she'll take ages." He begged her. "Please? For me?"
"Hmm. I could always ask one of the other lionesses." Zuzu suggested. Taka made a face at that.
"Oh come on Zuzu! Please? They never let us have any fun. They're always so scared that they'll be held responsible if we so much as prick ourselves, to let us do anything more than lounge around in the sun!"
Zuzu hummed to herself. "Yes. I see the predicament." She smiled. "Well. Far be it for me to dictate to a Prince how they should spend their time. And far be it for me to disobey a direct order from the King." She said. "I suppose the Morning Report will have to wait today, won't it?" She said, clucking. Taka grinned. "Lead on, young master. Who else is joining us on this sojourn today?" She asked.
"That would be us." Came a pair of voices. Taka and Zuzu turned and saw Imani and a second lion moving towards them. Imani, Scar recognised from the day before. But standing behind him, was a taller lion cub, with broader shoulders and a serious expression.
"Imani!" Taka greeted him. "You remembered! I was worrying I'd have to come at wake you up myself!" Taka said.
"Ha. Very funny. Did you think I'd sleep in on a day like this?" Imani asked him. "Besides, this was my idea, remember? Good ones tend to be." He said, with a hint of cockiness to his voice. "Just think of all the stuff there is to do!"
Taka grinned, but Zuzu whirled around on hearing the newcomers voice, and gave an alarmed squark as soon as she laid eyes on them.
"Oh no. It's you two. The biggest pair of troublemakers in the Pride." She looked at Taka imploringly. "Is it too late for me to back out now?" She asked him, looking anxious. Taka frowned, bewildered by her response.
"You know each other, I take it?"
"I don't make trouble." Imani said, laughing at her reaction. "I just seem to… attract it. Maybe I smell nice to it or something?" He said.
Zuzu turned to Taka.
"You didn't tell me today's little excursion would involve these two hellions! Taka, this is the lion cub who started an elephant stampede, by dropping a nest of bees on them!"
"It was an accident. I was trying get some honey. I didn't even notice the elephants until they rammed the tree and sent me flying. I don't know why everyone always focuses on that…" Imani grumbled.
"You didn't even like the honey once you had it!" Zuzu said crossly. Imani smirked at the memory.
"Hehe. I didn't know that before I tasted it, did I?" Imani protested. "That was a long time ago though." He said.
"There have been plenty of incidents since! I should know! I am the one who has to smooth things over when they complain to the King! Taka if you take him along, there will be trouble before you can say the words: Diplomatic Incident." She said, crossly. Taka frowned.
"Zuzu, I am not going to stop playing with my friends just because of a few accidents they had before I even met them…" Taka said, and Imani smiled gratefully. Zuzu sighed.
"Fair enough… I suppose he's been grounded to the den sufficient enough times without adding 'losing friends' to the list of punishments… Not that that would be an especially good example of cub rearing anyway." She commented, and fluttered up and landed on Taka's shoulder. Taka winced as her tallows bit into his fur, but it wasn't painful. Imani cleared his throat, looking awkward over his reputation.
"Ahem. This is Nguvu by the way." He said, jabbing a pointed claw at the elder of the three cubs.
"Don't suppose you've heard anything about me?" Nguvu asked Zuzu. The bird fluffed her feathers.
"Only that where he goes, you aren't usually far behind." Zuzu told him. "You're Eshe's Son, aren't you?" She asked. Nguvu nodded and Taka recognised the name of another the Pride's lionesses.
"Well then? Where are we heading?" Zuzu asked, fluttering up and hovering at about head height for the lions. She swooped forward and Taka had to climb to his feet quickly to catch up to her.
"The Gorge!" Taka shouted to her.
"Aren't we waiting for Mufasa?" Imani asked Taka, who shrugged as the cubs ran after Zuzu, jumping down the rocks of Pride Rock to the grassland below and chasing after the bird, who led the way, swooping and diving to remain just ahead of them.
"He can catch up!" Taka said, and the three cubs followed the hornbill who flew above them.
The three cubs ran through the savannah after Zuzu, who remained just a little ways ahead of them the entire time. Taka wasn't sure what to make of Nguvu. He hadn't really spoken to the cub much before today, and Nguvu hadn't gone out of his way to introduce himself to Taka either. He didn't speak as much as Imani – though that hardly seemed possible in retrospect. Instead, he remained serious and thoughtful. He almost seemed to be making up his mind on Taka, as much as Taka had been making up his mind on Nguvu. After running together for a few moments, they came to a stop next to a water bank.
"This is the Zuberi River, you ought to stop and drink. It's hot out today, and there is some distance left to go." Zuzu suggested. Imani glanced at the river. Usually the lions drank from one of the half dozen watering holes throughout the Pridelands, especially the one nearest to Pride Rock. The Rivers were usually the territory of the crocodiles, hippos and others. Nguvu gave the air a sniff, and sure enough, could pick out the scents of the river dwellers, though most seemed to be upstream for now. He could also smell leopards and cheetahs, as well as herd animals. So clearly, the multitude of citizens of the Pridelands, did drink from the river on occasion.
"I wouldn't want to trespass on someone else's territory." Nguvu commented. Zuzu opened her beak to reply but was cut off by Imani lunging towards the river and gulping down great mouthfuls of water. Zuzu sighed.
"Don't worry. The River's too narrow for any but the smaller crocodile floats. The larger beasts, and the River Lords stick to the Great River, north of here." Zuzu commented. Just as well, because Imani had stuck his head in the water without even considering that. Taka shuddered. Prince or not, it was usually best to avoid irritating the reptiles that dwelt in the Rivers of the Pridelands. Most were ambivalent to the Lion Kings, and kept a respectful distance when the Lion Prides came to drink. Others… were decidedly more unfriendly, and made their contempt known. And it was usually better to figure out which prior to thrusting one's head neck deep into their habitats.
"Taka!" He heard a voice cry out. Taka grinned, recognising his brother's voice. "Where were you? I looked all over Pride Rock for you!" Mufasa said. Taka smiled, but his smile faltered when he saw that Mufasa wasn't alone. On either side of the golden cub stood two slightly paler cubs. He recognised the lionesses immediately. Unlike Imani and Nguvu, whom he'd met only recently, he knew both rather well.
"You were already gone when I got up this morning…" Taka noted, as Mufasa and his companions approached. "So I went ahead. I knew you'd catch up." He said. Mufasa winced. "Yeah… Sorry. Must have gotten side-tracked." He said, and glanced at his two companions. Taka groaned inwardly, but outwardly gave a warm smile.
"Sarabi. Sarafina. How… pleasant… of you to join us." He said, doing his utmost to sound sincere. He wasn't very successful.
"Good Morning Taka." Sarabi said flatly, picking up on his tone instantly. She looked to Imani and Nguvu. "Imani. Nguvu." She greeted them both. "I didn't expect to see you here as well."
"Likewise." Imani said.
"Well, seems like you both know each other." Mufasa said surprised.
Sarafina nodded, smiling shyly. "Yes… I remember you two." She said, as Sarabi rolled her eyes. "You're the cub who dropped the bees…" She said, as Imani winced.
"Why does everyone remember the bees?" He muttered.
"While you two get reacquainted," Taka suggested to four lions, "would you mind if I spoke to my brother for a few moments?" And without waiting for an answer, he dragged Mufasa away where they could talk without being overheard.
"What on earth did you bring them for?!" Taka snapped. Mufasa's eyes widened in surprise.
"Sarabi and Sarafina? I told them where we were planning on going and they wanted to come along. Why? Do you suddenly not like them all of a sudden?" Mufasa asked, frowning in disapproval. Taka groaned.
"Of course not! You know they're my friends as much as yours!" He muttered. He certainly didn't dislike Sarabi, and on any other day, he would have said to have been good friends with Sarafina, but even so, the fact that he hadn't planned on meeting with the lionesses left him feeling flustered.
"Well then, what's the issue?"
"The issue is, that you can't keep a secret." Taka muttered. "You can't just drag people along. What if they get cold feet and go tattling off to our parents? You can't just invite the girls along whenever you feel like it!" He said. Mufasa smiled.
"Scar, we're going to a gorge, not plotting a murder. You're just sore because you hate feeling like you're not in control. Don't worry, Taka. It'll be fun! Don't you ever do anything unexpected, or just for the hell of it?" He asked him.
"Not if I can help it…" Taka muttered. Even at a young age, he liked to know what was going on around him and he liked it when things went according to plan. Even the mundane, especially the mundane things of day to day life. The fact that he could improvise when he needed to wasn't the issue here. Mufasa however, was either ignorant, or apathetic towards Taka's discomfort, and strolled back to the four other cubs with a bright expression.
"So Zuzu!" He shouted up to Zuzu, who was fluttering about a bit, anxious to move on now. "Where are we heading next?"
"Well, we just cross the river, here and keep heading south. Not far to go now." Zuzu explained.
There was a short pause, as the six cubs looked at the river they had to cross, and at the bank on the other side. Mufasa sighed.
"So…" He said. "Who here can swim?" He asked, already fearing the answer. There was an uncomfortable silence as no one volunteered the information. They looked to each other, and Taka sighed.
"Zuzu! We can't cross here!" He shouted up to Zuzu, who looked at them quizzically.
"What? Just fly acr- Oh I see. Hmm. Well. That's embarrassing." She flushed, looking annoyed with herself. Taka stared at her.
"Zuzu." He asked levelly. "Did you… forget… that we weren't birds? Because that's sort of what that sounded like." He asked, carefully.
"No no no. That would be ridiculous. You must have imagined that. We'll uh… just head down stream and look for a crossing." She said. Taka sighed. He knew as well as Zuzu that the nearest crossing he knew of, was several miles downstream. It would take hours out of their journey, in both directions… They'd probably need to start heading back as soon as they arrived! Taka tested the water with a paw, and ground his teeth in frustration.
"Hang on a moment…" He heard a voice to his right say. Taka turned in surprise to see Nguvu looking at the water carefully. He dipped a claw into it, testing the speed of the water and nodded thoughtfully. Then looked up and down the bank with a firm expression, until he gave a small noise, indicating he had found what he was looking for.
"What's the plan, big guy?" Sarabi asked him cautiously. Nguvu didn't reply, and instead, found his way towards one of the low hanging branches that grew along the banks of the river – presumably with its roots thrusted deep into the waters. It was a small tree, and looked to be mostly dead. Its bark was drier than it should have been, and Taka had little doubt that its core would be full of insects and other critters. Nguvu began to press his body against the bark of the tree, and pushed. He pushed hard, giving a small grunt and digging his paws into the side of the trunk.
To the cub's collective amazement, they looked on, as Nguvu pushed against the dead tree, and within a few more claw biting moments, the wood gave an ominous creak and toppled down. It landed with a thud.
Taka looked at the branches of the tree. To their amazement, it had fallen across the entirety of the River, and left them a sturdy bridge with which to cross. Zuzu looked at Nguvu in surprise.
"That," she said, "was fairly impressive."
"Alright Nguvu!" Imani clapped his friend on the shoulder with a paw, then leapt past them, landing lightly on the tree trunk and practically skipping across. He landed on the other side, and looked to the others, giving an encouraging smile. "It works, guys!"
"Good. It looks like it can take our weight." Nguyu said, and nodded. Sarafina paused, and looked at Nguvu.
"You didn't know that?" She asked him, sounding concerned, as Zuzu made yet another choked squawking sound.
"How would I know that?" Nguvu asked confused.
"Imani can't swim, can he?" Sarabi asked him, glancing at Imani's form, who was jumping up and down in impatience.
"Not as far as I know." Nguvu admitted. "But it looks safe now." He said. Giving Mufasa and uncertain look, Sarabi and Sarafina joined Imani on the other side. Taka stepped across with trepidation, but made it safely on the other side. Mufasa went next, and the tree creaked ominously, his heavier brother holding still for a moment anxiously, and then continuing to the other side. Nguvu followed, as with that, Zuzu let out a fretful sigh of relief.
"Can we please go now?" Zuzu asked, sounding nervous. Taka gave her a sympathetic smile.
"Don't worry Zuzu. Everything ought to be a bit smoother now…" He told her.
They found their way back to the Canyon with little difficulty, and Sarafina and Sarabi were suitably impressed with the size and scale of the area. Unlike the grassy plains that covered the savannah around the base of Pride Rock, the ground inside the Canyon was rocky and barren, beaten and pulverised into the ground after many years of trampling. It was a favoured route of the migrating herds after the rainy season.
Imani gave a whoop of pleasure as he latched onto the steep sides of the cliff face and began to haul himself along the surface of the near vertical rock by the tips of his claws.
"Whoa, Mufasa! Look at this!" He shouted, but no one was watching him. Instead the cubs had found themselves other amusements. Zuzu was keeping a watchful eye on them, but had enough grace and common courtesy to detach herself from the cubs' play – the last thing they wanted was a reminder of their chaperone.
"I have a great idea!" Mufasa said suddenly, gathering the attentions of the various cubs. "Everyone splits up and hides, and one of us has to track down the others! It can be like stalking!" He said excitedly. Some of the cubs looked to each other sceptically, but Sarafina nodded thoughtfully, her mind whirling, clearly already thinking of excellent places to hide. The Canyon was after all unfamiliar territory, littered with crevices and cracks and small hiding places perfect for the games and imaginations of young cubs.
"Who should chase?" Imani asked, bouncing around. Mufasa rolled his eyes.
"Well, seeing as Taka made no effort to find us this morning, maybe he should make up for finding us now?" Mufasa suggested. Taka groaned, but nodded. He was a good tracker after all.
"Fine." He grumbled. "How long do I have to wait?" Mufasa specified a time, and Taka instantly began to count down. There was no time for further debate, and the lion cubs scattered like leaves on the wind. He wasn't about to afford them a single advantage. Such games were a serious business, at least to the minds of small cubs.
When he opened his eyes, he looked about expectantly. Not that he especially thought they'd still remain where they stood, but because he sought some clue or hint as to the direct they'd travelled.
The game of Hide and Seek, whilst a common occurrence in the childhood of many species, was often tailored to the individual species who practiced it. Birds for instance, rarely played the game, for in the winds and air currents of the open sky there was little to hide behind. Sheltering in trees and foliage of the savannah was little use to a bird, who could simply fly to sufficient height and look down below at their quarry.
Among the herds who played similar games, they frequently devolved into games of speed and stamina, bolting from cover to cover when the opportunity presented itself, rather than concealing themselves carefully.
Among the lions the variant played was much akin to what might be referred to as the "Classical" Version of the game. With the exception that the felines made use of more than their ocular senses. When a lion hunted for prey of any kind, they did so with every sense the Creator had gifted them with. Including their potent scent.
Taka inhaled deeply closing his eyes, and moved about, following the scent. The Canyon directed the wind in a single direction, and thus, there was only one direction in which they could have gone. To his surprise and evident delight, Mufasa, Imani, Nguvu, Sarabi and Sarafina had all headed in a single direction, away from the wind. That wasn't much use to him, but it gave him a start.
Taka was bored out of his mind.
Hours had dripped by, and Taka had gone up and down the canyon twice. He could pick out the cubs' scents easily enough but it was all a mess. A wall of scents and smells. And for the life of him, he couldn't find a trail to follow.
Not for the first time, he considered whether or not the cubs might have in fact left the canyon altogether. It seemed a mean-spirited prank and unlike Sarafina or Mufasa but he was grudgingly forced to consider the possibility. He ground his teeth in frustration and was on the verge of giving up. He looked about but even Zuzu was nowhere to be seen.
Hang on.
Zuzu.
Inspiration hit him.
Where was the purple hornbill? She wasn't hovering above his head, and come to think of it, he hadn't seen her for some time now. How peculiar. And yet it wasn't so surprising. She would have followed the other cubs if – as it seemed likely – they were in the same place. And yet, no matter where he looked, he couldn't see her.
Which meant, that wherever his fellow cubs had concealed themselves, they were somewhere where Zuzu could not be seen. Taka gave a small smile as an idea began to form in his head.
He moved to the furthest edge of the Canyon, in the direction he had initially assumed the cubs to have travelled, his gaze fixed upon the craggy walls of the canyon, looking for something.
There.
He grinned. There, nestled in the edge of the canyon was a craggy opening that… yes… it was the opening of a tunnel. And the scents of his companions was everywhere. His eyes narrowed. The cave was dark… and went deep into the side of the canyon. It twisted and grew darker, so that he couldn't see the inside of the cave as the turning tunnels obscured his vision. He growled softly. Even if he entered himself, and looked around, he couldn't be certain they that they weren't there, and just hidden away in some crag or cranny he had missed. And as soon as he found any of them, he'd alert any others that shared their hiding space in moments. Just like the prey from the day before, they'd scatter and run and he'd be back to where he started. Come on. This wasn't fair.
He let loose a small roar in frustration.
He was still young, and it lacked the deep throatiness that it would attain in later life. But even so, it burst from deep within him, and echoed around the cave, resounding and echoing, amplifying and reverberating far beyond its usual magnitude.
The roar resounded for all of half a second before a pitched scream emanated from within the cave.
Like bolts of golden lightning, one, two, three, four, five shapes darted from the cave with a sound of abject terror. Sarabi and Imani both screaming as they did so. A single bolt of purple shot from the cave as Zuzu followed.
Taka collapsed in laughter at the sight of their frightened expression. Mufasa gave a defiant growl looking around, his eyes settling on Taka's form, which was shaking with laughter.
"TAKA!" He roared in anger as Taka continued to laugh. Sarafina and Sarabi who were on edge looked at each other, their expressions forming identical expressions of relief, and then annoyance at Taka.
Nguvu stared at him in surprise.
"Taka… What was that?" he asked indignantly. Taka laughed again, finally managing to control himself.
"I am sorry!" He said, grinning. "I guess I roared in frustration… and the cave made it sound like it was bigger than it really was…" He admitted. Imani rolled his eyes, smiling with relief. Then, as the shock and sudden relief faded, it was replaced with annoyance that was shared by Mufasa.
"Good Kings Taka, we thought there was a rogue in there or something! Don't do that!" He snapped, as Mufasa glared at Taka, shaking his head, his heart only just beginning to beat at a normal speed..
"I guess this means I found you all?" Taka said. Imani's annoyance didn't last long even though Mufasa continued to grumble and he nodded cheerfully, and Nguvu sighed.
"That was a really good spot too…" He noticed.
"Hey if you hadn't all come rushing out, I wouldn't have found you after all…" Taka taunted. Mufasa rolled his eyes.
"Taka, at the time we were more concerned about a mon- about a rogue lion, or worse, living in the cave."
"Ah. That was your mistake then. Shouldn't have done that." Taka said, as Sarafina snorted.
"Yes Taka. An excellent suggestion. We'll bear that in mind the next time we're running for our lives."
"I can't help it if you're a bunch of scaredy cats." Taka said, his eyes widening with exaggerated innocence, then leaping back as Sarafina swatted at him playfully. "Does this mean I win?" He asked grinning.
"Yes. Stalked us. Found us. Frightened the living spirits out of us." Sarabi said. She looked less cross now, perhaps the adrenaline was leaving her, her heartbeat returned to acceptable levels. Taka smiled.
"Excellent." He said. That was fun. "Another game?" he suggested, his tail swishing.
Sarabi sent him look at the suggestion that could have cracked coconuts.
"You know Taka, there is such a thing as 'sore winner' as well as a 'sore loser'," She said.
"No such thing as a sore winner. Just winners. And losers." Taka said, grinning again. "So what do you think? Again?" She looked grateful when Zuzu spoke.
"No!" Said Zuzu firmly. "The sun is going down anyway, and my heart cannot take much more excitement." She said, and began to lead the way back. It was later now, and would almost certainly be dusk by the time Taka returned to Pride Rock. Taka was fine with that. He'd won after all. It had been a good day.