CHAPTER NINE
PART TWO
The lion ruffled his long black mane and his dark brown coat glistened in the morning sun and glanced back at the cave, " Alani come on out here," he called, " The sunrise is beautiful."
" In a minute!" Alani answered and Zenka waited patiently.
" Wow, it is pretty." Alani agreed as she sat down next to Zenka. They watched the sunrise quietly and Zenka stole a look at the lioness.
Alani had grown into a healthy, sleek lioness. She may not be entirely beautiful, but in Zenka's eyes she was. He found everything in her beautiful even the scar above her eye.
Alani's broken leg had healed over time but she had a permanent limp. The cut on her forehead had disappeared and ever since he found her on the riverbank, her green eyes always had a tinge of sadness in them. A sadness that will never go away. Alani never told him or his family what happened to her. Zenka knew Alani would tell him when she was ready.
I love her, Zenka thought, but she barely knows I'm alive.
" What are you looking at?" Alani demanded frowning at him.
" Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to stare."
" Are you offended by the scar?"
" No, it does not bother me." Zenka assured him, " it's kind of unique, how did you get it?"
Alani started to tell him but caught herself. She glared at him, " Nice try Zenka. Thought you could get me to tell all huh?"
" No! It wasn't intentional! I-" Zenka sputtered.
" Forget it." Alani was angry. Her eyes glowed and she snarled, " I have nothing worth telling so don't bother trying to get anything from me!" then she ran off.
Zenka, you idiot! You goofed up-again. Zenka stared at the ground for a while.
" Zenka, what's wrong?" a voice asked behind him. He looked up to his mother, Tanisha walk up to him. She had a concerned look in her big brown eyes.
" It's nothing," he muttered.
" You're upset," Tanisha guessed, " I can usually tell by the way your tail flickers."
Zenka sighed. You couldn't hide anything from Tanisha-especially the way you feel.
" I guess I am." Zenka muttered, " Mom, why am I such a loser?"
" Zenka, you are not a loser. None of my children are." Tanisha nuzzled him and licked his ear, " I've seen the way you look at Alani. You like her don't you?"
" Is it that obvious?' Zenka smiled bashfully.
" Why don't you tell her?"
" Tell Alani I like her?" Zenka looked terrified at the suggestion, " I know she doesn't feel the same way about me. I don't want to get rejected. It's better she does not know."
" Oh Zenka." Tanisha sighed.
" And anyway, she's so wrapped up the past she barely knows I'm alive."
" In the past? What do you mean?"
" Well, she doesn't seem to be with us most of the time. She's always got her head in the clouds. Too wrapped in her past and I wish she would tell us what happened on the day I found her near the river banks."
" She'll tell us when she's ready," Tanisha predicted, " Just don't pressure her Zenka."
Zenka nodded and walked away. Tanisha sighed. Her son was obviously lovesick and was too shy to confess to Alani about his feelings.
If he didn't, he'll go through the rest of his adult life wondering. He could find someone else to be his mate, but it would never be the same.
* * *
Queen Annalina entered the den, looking furious. She paced the floor several times before her father joined her.
" My dear, what's got you so angry?"
" It's that blasted domo that's what!" she exclaimed. " Just before, he tried to tell me how to do my job! If he hadn't flown away I would have eaten him."
She was talking about Zazu who had been Mufasa's major-domo is now Annalina's. But the Queen and Zazu do not get along very well.
" I tried to eat him once," Scar remembered, " Unfortunately, Mufasa caught me."
" And I also want to get rid of that monkey Rafiki. He's ever so annoying. He's always looking at me with a frown."
" He disapproves of you." Scar paused, " And me. I can still recall the look on his face when I presented you to the kingdom. It was priceless!" he laughed then and his daughter laughed with him.
Scar glanced at her. They were two of a kind. She had grown up to be beautiful, even more so than his mate Tamali. Annalina was sleek and powerful looking with her golden coat and big blue eyes. She had also become cunning and ruthless, killing anything that didn't obey her every command or when it came to the lionesses exiled them to the Outlands.
Scar congratulated himself on a job well done. He had taught her well.
" Father, Mother has been acting strange lately." Annalina chanted the subject, " In fact, she's been a acting strange ever since the day Alani died. It's as if she blames me for her death."
" You are not to blame. You know that don't you?"
" I guess so." Annalina nodded, " but over the years I guess I've sort of blamed myself."
" I will talk to you Mother. Get her change her attitude towards you. It seems she does not trust you or me."
" Maybe we can exile her." Annalina suggested.
" No. I'll deal with her." Scar left the den and Annalina frowned. Tamali has been acting just plain rude towards her. She doesn't give her any encouragement or even makes an effort to talk her. Tamali only speaks when she needs to. Her mother was getting to be a problem.
A problem that needs eliminating.
PART TWO
The lion ruffled his long black mane and his dark brown coat glistened in the morning sun and glanced back at the cave, " Alani come on out here," he called, " The sunrise is beautiful."
" In a minute!" Alani answered and Zenka waited patiently.
" Wow, it is pretty." Alani agreed as she sat down next to Zenka. They watched the sunrise quietly and Zenka stole a look at the lioness.
Alani had grown into a healthy, sleek lioness. She may not be entirely beautiful, but in Zenka's eyes she was. He found everything in her beautiful even the scar above her eye.
Alani's broken leg had healed over time but she had a permanent limp. The cut on her forehead had disappeared and ever since he found her on the riverbank, her green eyes always had a tinge of sadness in them. A sadness that will never go away. Alani never told him or his family what happened to her. Zenka knew Alani would tell him when she was ready.
I love her, Zenka thought, but she barely knows I'm alive.
" What are you looking at?" Alani demanded frowning at him.
" Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to stare."
" Are you offended by the scar?"
" No, it does not bother me." Zenka assured him, " it's kind of unique, how did you get it?"
Alani started to tell him but caught herself. She glared at him, " Nice try Zenka. Thought you could get me to tell all huh?"
" No! It wasn't intentional! I-" Zenka sputtered.
" Forget it." Alani was angry. Her eyes glowed and she snarled, " I have nothing worth telling so don't bother trying to get anything from me!" then she ran off.
Zenka, you idiot! You goofed up-again. Zenka stared at the ground for a while.
" Zenka, what's wrong?" a voice asked behind him. He looked up to his mother, Tanisha walk up to him. She had a concerned look in her big brown eyes.
" It's nothing," he muttered.
" You're upset," Tanisha guessed, " I can usually tell by the way your tail flickers."
Zenka sighed. You couldn't hide anything from Tanisha-especially the way you feel.
" I guess I am." Zenka muttered, " Mom, why am I such a loser?"
" Zenka, you are not a loser. None of my children are." Tanisha nuzzled him and licked his ear, " I've seen the way you look at Alani. You like her don't you?"
" Is it that obvious?' Zenka smiled bashfully.
" Why don't you tell her?"
" Tell Alani I like her?" Zenka looked terrified at the suggestion, " I know she doesn't feel the same way about me. I don't want to get rejected. It's better she does not know."
" Oh Zenka." Tanisha sighed.
" And anyway, she's so wrapped up the past she barely knows I'm alive."
" In the past? What do you mean?"
" Well, she doesn't seem to be with us most of the time. She's always got her head in the clouds. Too wrapped in her past and I wish she would tell us what happened on the day I found her near the river banks."
" She'll tell us when she's ready," Tanisha predicted, " Just don't pressure her Zenka."
Zenka nodded and walked away. Tanisha sighed. Her son was obviously lovesick and was too shy to confess to Alani about his feelings.
If he didn't, he'll go through the rest of his adult life wondering. He could find someone else to be his mate, but it would never be the same.
* * *
Queen Annalina entered the den, looking furious. She paced the floor several times before her father joined her.
" My dear, what's got you so angry?"
" It's that blasted domo that's what!" she exclaimed. " Just before, he tried to tell me how to do my job! If he hadn't flown away I would have eaten him."
She was talking about Zazu who had been Mufasa's major-domo is now Annalina's. But the Queen and Zazu do not get along very well.
" I tried to eat him once," Scar remembered, " Unfortunately, Mufasa caught me."
" And I also want to get rid of that monkey Rafiki. He's ever so annoying. He's always looking at me with a frown."
" He disapproves of you." Scar paused, " And me. I can still recall the look on his face when I presented you to the kingdom. It was priceless!" he laughed then and his daughter laughed with him.
Scar glanced at her. They were two of a kind. She had grown up to be beautiful, even more so than his mate Tamali. Annalina was sleek and powerful looking with her golden coat and big blue eyes. She had also become cunning and ruthless, killing anything that didn't obey her every command or when it came to the lionesses exiled them to the Outlands.
Scar congratulated himself on a job well done. He had taught her well.
" Father, Mother has been acting strange lately." Annalina chanted the subject, " In fact, she's been a acting strange ever since the day Alani died. It's as if she blames me for her death."
" You are not to blame. You know that don't you?"
" I guess so." Annalina nodded, " but over the years I guess I've sort of blamed myself."
" I will talk to you Mother. Get her change her attitude towards you. It seems she does not trust you or me."
" Maybe we can exile her." Annalina suggested.
" No. I'll deal with her." Scar left the den and Annalina frowned. Tamali has been acting just plain rude towards her. She doesn't give her any encouragement or even makes an effort to talk her. Tamali only speaks when she needs to. Her mother was getting to be a problem.
A problem that needs eliminating.