CHAPTER NINE
Jahari was about to jump in to try and save him when a lioness beat him to it. She jumped into the water and dragged the frightened cub to shore.
" Who are you?" Jahari whispered. He had never seen this lioness before. She had blue eyes-just like Linka.
" I was going to ask you the same thing. You don't belong to the Outlands." The lioness frowned, " And what were you thinking? Can't you see my son is blind? Racing around the lake is out of the question! He could have died, you silly boy."
Jahari didn't like being called a silly boy. He glared at her and Annalina glared back. The cub was younger than her son with a dark coat, a little tuft of black mane and green eyes. Those green eyes looked familiar somehow.
" I better go now." Jahari looked at Linka who was shivering violently. " Nice to meet you Linka." Then he ran off and disappeared.
Jahari ran from the lake, through a thicket and stopped in his tracks. Just ahead of him was his father.
" What are you doing here?" Zenka boomed as Jahari neared him.
" I…" Jahari didn't know what to say. Zenka looked furious.
" Let's go home."
Annalina looked down at her wet son and shook her head, " Linka, you know better than to go racing around…today has just proved that you aren't capable of going out on your own."
" I was fine until he showed up." Linka protested as his shivering ceased. The sun was warm and his coat was slowly drying.
" If you see him again, I don't you playing with him all right?"
" But Mom, I want to have a friend. Kayla never plays with me and there are no other cubs around…"
" That cub you met does not belong here. He's obviously from some other pride." Annalina nudged her son, " Come along now. We're going home."
Linka followed his mother. Where had Jahari come from? Was there another pride not far from the Outlands? Linka hoped there was. It was getting awfully lonely just with his mother and Kayla.
* * *
Jahari followed his father home.
The den was within sight but Zenka sat down suddenly in the grass.
" Jahari!" he boomed and Jahari cringed at his loud voice. Jahari crept up next to him, sat down on his hunches and looked at up at the older lion. He'd forgotten how big and ferocious he father looked when he was angry.
Zenka closed his eyes for a moment, then gazed down at his son, " Son, I'm very disappointed in you."
Jahari gulped, " I-I know," he whispered.
" You deliberately disobeyed me." Zenka went on, " I forbade you to venture into the Outlands but you did anyway. Did you think you wouldn't get caught?"
" No…I-" Jahari started to defend himself but Zenka rambled on.
" When you didn't come back your mother got worried and told me to look for you. For some reason I had an inkling that you weren't in the Heartlands and I was right."
Jahari looked down at the ground, " Dad, I'm sorry."
" I found your paw prints and tracked your scent. What were you doing in the Outlands?"
" I was exploring," Jahari said, " I was getting bored with the Heartlands…am I punished?"
Zenka thought it over. His son was at a curious age but it will pass. He'd have to keep a close eye on Jahari from now on.
" I'll let you off with a warning. Don't let it happen again."
" I won't dad." Jahari promised.
Jahari was about to jump in to try and save him when a lioness beat him to it. She jumped into the water and dragged the frightened cub to shore.
" Who are you?" Jahari whispered. He had never seen this lioness before. She had blue eyes-just like Linka.
" I was going to ask you the same thing. You don't belong to the Outlands." The lioness frowned, " And what were you thinking? Can't you see my son is blind? Racing around the lake is out of the question! He could have died, you silly boy."
Jahari didn't like being called a silly boy. He glared at her and Annalina glared back. The cub was younger than her son with a dark coat, a little tuft of black mane and green eyes. Those green eyes looked familiar somehow.
" I better go now." Jahari looked at Linka who was shivering violently. " Nice to meet you Linka." Then he ran off and disappeared.
Jahari ran from the lake, through a thicket and stopped in his tracks. Just ahead of him was his father.
" What are you doing here?" Zenka boomed as Jahari neared him.
" I…" Jahari didn't know what to say. Zenka looked furious.
" Let's go home."
Annalina looked down at her wet son and shook her head, " Linka, you know better than to go racing around…today has just proved that you aren't capable of going out on your own."
" I was fine until he showed up." Linka protested as his shivering ceased. The sun was warm and his coat was slowly drying.
" If you see him again, I don't you playing with him all right?"
" But Mom, I want to have a friend. Kayla never plays with me and there are no other cubs around…"
" That cub you met does not belong here. He's obviously from some other pride." Annalina nudged her son, " Come along now. We're going home."
Linka followed his mother. Where had Jahari come from? Was there another pride not far from the Outlands? Linka hoped there was. It was getting awfully lonely just with his mother and Kayla.
* * *
Jahari followed his father home.
The den was within sight but Zenka sat down suddenly in the grass.
" Jahari!" he boomed and Jahari cringed at his loud voice. Jahari crept up next to him, sat down on his hunches and looked at up at the older lion. He'd forgotten how big and ferocious he father looked when he was angry.
Zenka closed his eyes for a moment, then gazed down at his son, " Son, I'm very disappointed in you."
Jahari gulped, " I-I know," he whispered.
" You deliberately disobeyed me." Zenka went on, " I forbade you to venture into the Outlands but you did anyway. Did you think you wouldn't get caught?"
" No…I-" Jahari started to defend himself but Zenka rambled on.
" When you didn't come back your mother got worried and told me to look for you. For some reason I had an inkling that you weren't in the Heartlands and I was right."
Jahari looked down at the ground, " Dad, I'm sorry."
" I found your paw prints and tracked your scent. What were you doing in the Outlands?"
" I was exploring," Jahari said, " I was getting bored with the Heartlands…am I punished?"
Zenka thought it over. His son was at a curious age but it will pass. He'd have to keep a close eye on Jahari from now on.
" I'll let you off with a warning. Don't let it happen again."
" I won't dad." Jahari promised.