Chapter 2: Tiifu's Lie
Queen Tiifu watched peacefully as night descended upon the land. Onevu and Mtundu still hadn't returned from the hunt yet, and Yolanda had long since left to care for her daughter, Mzungu. Mzungu. Just that name filled Tiifu with an indescribable feeling of pride and joy, that Yolanda would ask Tiifu's permission to betroth her son to Yolanda's daughter. Though nobody in the pride knew about it, Tiifu had always admired Yolanda. Her beauty, her independence, and her intolerance towards Onevu. None of the other lionesses dared to stand up to Onevu. His word was law, and that was that.
Queen Tiifu smiled at her young, innocent son that was resting in her arms. Mohatu betrayed the rich brown hue of his father's pelt and took on the deep golden-tan pelt of his mother. He still had his baby spots as well. "Mohatu, my son," Tiifu whispered, "you've only just been born to me, and you're already betrothed--"
"What did you just say?"
Her heart skipping a beat, Tiifu turned to the entrance of the den, where the voice had come from. There stood Onevu, glaring at her. Only seconds later, Tiifu saw Mtundu run up to his father. "Daddy!" he exclaimed. "We're not done playing already, are we?"
Onevu's face changed from cold and unforgiving to kind and gentle as he looked to his beloved son. "Of course not, my prince," Onevu replied. He placed a paw lovingly on Mtundu's shoulder. "Now, you go outside, and I'm going to talk with Mommy about a little misunderstanding." As he said the last few words, Onevu looked narrowly at Tiifu. Tiifu swallowed hard. But Onevu's reply seemed good enough for Mtundu, who bounded out the door to wait for his father.
Tiifu began to tremble as Onevu made his way towards her. "Now...what was it that you were saying?" Onevu asked.
Tiifu shook her head violently. "N...nothing, my love," she replied, trying to hide her fear.
Onevu's eyes grew even colder. "Because I could have sworn that I heard you say that this...cub...was betrothed."
Now, Tiifu had experienced the results of Onevu's anger many a time in the past, and she wasn't ready to jeopardize her self or her son, just for the sake of standing up to her mate. She shook her head again. "No," she replied. Her mind raced, trying to come up with a good lie. "I...I was actually talking about Mtundu."
Onevu's eyes were no longer cold at the sound of his eldest son's name. "Mtundu? What about him?" he asked.
Tiifu looked to the ground, then to the ceiling, thinking of a good lie. "Well, I've been thinking...perhaps now would be a good time to think about who he shall marry."
Onevu's face lit up. A smile spread across his muzzle. "Ah, yes!" he exclaimed. "Very good timing, my mate. I'm impressed. At first I thought you were saying that he--" Onevu looked at Mohatu and laughed,--"oh, never mind. Back to Mtundu. To whom shall he be married?"
Tiifu didn't know the answer to this herself. She shrugged. "Um, well, you see...since you love Mtundu so much and spent so much more time with him than I do, maybe you should decide!"
Onevu's face turned thoughtful. Please don't say `Mzungu', Tiifu prayed silently, please don't say `Mzungu', oh, PLEASE don't say...
"How about Mzungu?" Onevu asked. "You know, Yolanda's daughter. She's quite a beauty for a cub her age. I'm sure Mtundu would be pleased, and Yolanda honored..."
"NO!" exclaimed Tiifu. Onevu's smile vanished and he stared at his mate. Tiifu cleared her throat and faked a laugh. "I mean, you know how Yolanda is...she doesn't want to give her daughter away to anybody."
Onevu thought on this a moment, then nodded. "True, true," he replied, "but in time, she might change her mind. And when she does...we'll be ready."
I doubt it, thought Tiifu. She decided that now would be a good time to change the subject. She turned to her slumbering son, and smiled to Onevu. "Oh, I guess I forgot to introduce you two," she said enthusiastically, "Onevu, this is your son, Mohatu."
Onevu drew closer to Tiifu and examined Mohatu nonchalantly. "He looks tiny," he replied. "Perhaps he won't live."
Tiifu's face dropped, and her heart took a blow, that Onevu disapproved of Mohatu, and that he would have the nerve to suggest that. She felt like clouting him there and then, but she didn't dare. "They're always small when they're only just born--", she started.
"Perhaps he won't live."
Tiifu met Onevu's eyes, his cold, unforgiving eyes. He really did disapprove of Mohatu. And God only knew what this resentment could lead to in the future.
Without another word, Onevu left the den to play with his prize son. As soon as she was assured that Onevu was out of earshot, Tiifu let out a sob of despair. She buried her face into Mohatu's fur, crying her eyes out. She couldn't believe how Onevu had reacted. Towards their son. Her son. The son for whom she had spent many painful hours to deliver. And the look in Onevu's eye. He looked at Mohatu like a termite, like something that must be terminated as soon as time would allow.
Tiifu gasped. Onevu would wish to do harm to their son. Shaking her head violently, Tiifu growled. No. She would not let it come to that. Onevu would not lay so much as a paw on her son. Mtundu was Onevu's golden child, Mohatu was hers. Whether Onevu liked it or not. "Nothing will ever harm you," Tiifu assured her son, "I won't let it."
Queen Tiifu watched peacefully as night descended upon the land. Onevu and Mtundu still hadn't returned from the hunt yet, and Yolanda had long since left to care for her daughter, Mzungu. Mzungu. Just that name filled Tiifu with an indescribable feeling of pride and joy, that Yolanda would ask Tiifu's permission to betroth her son to Yolanda's daughter. Though nobody in the pride knew about it, Tiifu had always admired Yolanda. Her beauty, her independence, and her intolerance towards Onevu. None of the other lionesses dared to stand up to Onevu. His word was law, and that was that.
Queen Tiifu smiled at her young, innocent son that was resting in her arms. Mohatu betrayed the rich brown hue of his father's pelt and took on the deep golden-tan pelt of his mother. He still had his baby spots as well. "Mohatu, my son," Tiifu whispered, "you've only just been born to me, and you're already betrothed--"
"What did you just say?"
Her heart skipping a beat, Tiifu turned to the entrance of the den, where the voice had come from. There stood Onevu, glaring at her. Only seconds later, Tiifu saw Mtundu run up to his father. "Daddy!" he exclaimed. "We're not done playing already, are we?"
Onevu's face changed from cold and unforgiving to kind and gentle as he looked to his beloved son. "Of course not, my prince," Onevu replied. He placed a paw lovingly on Mtundu's shoulder. "Now, you go outside, and I'm going to talk with Mommy about a little misunderstanding." As he said the last few words, Onevu looked narrowly at Tiifu. Tiifu swallowed hard. But Onevu's reply seemed good enough for Mtundu, who bounded out the door to wait for his father.
Tiifu began to tremble as Onevu made his way towards her. "Now...what was it that you were saying?" Onevu asked.
Tiifu shook her head violently. "N...nothing, my love," she replied, trying to hide her fear.
Onevu's eyes grew even colder. "Because I could have sworn that I heard you say that this...cub...was betrothed."
Now, Tiifu had experienced the results of Onevu's anger many a time in the past, and she wasn't ready to jeopardize her self or her son, just for the sake of standing up to her mate. She shook her head again. "No," she replied. Her mind raced, trying to come up with a good lie. "I...I was actually talking about Mtundu."
Onevu's eyes were no longer cold at the sound of his eldest son's name. "Mtundu? What about him?" he asked.
Tiifu looked to the ground, then to the ceiling, thinking of a good lie. "Well, I've been thinking...perhaps now would be a good time to think about who he shall marry."
Onevu's face lit up. A smile spread across his muzzle. "Ah, yes!" he exclaimed. "Very good timing, my mate. I'm impressed. At first I thought you were saying that he--" Onevu looked at Mohatu and laughed,--"oh, never mind. Back to Mtundu. To whom shall he be married?"
Tiifu didn't know the answer to this herself. She shrugged. "Um, well, you see...since you love Mtundu so much and spent so much more time with him than I do, maybe you should decide!"
Onevu's face turned thoughtful. Please don't say `Mzungu', Tiifu prayed silently, please don't say `Mzungu', oh, PLEASE don't say...
"How about Mzungu?" Onevu asked. "You know, Yolanda's daughter. She's quite a beauty for a cub her age. I'm sure Mtundu would be pleased, and Yolanda honored..."
"NO!" exclaimed Tiifu. Onevu's smile vanished and he stared at his mate. Tiifu cleared her throat and faked a laugh. "I mean, you know how Yolanda is...she doesn't want to give her daughter away to anybody."
Onevu thought on this a moment, then nodded. "True, true," he replied, "but in time, she might change her mind. And when she does...we'll be ready."
I doubt it, thought Tiifu. She decided that now would be a good time to change the subject. She turned to her slumbering son, and smiled to Onevu. "Oh, I guess I forgot to introduce you two," she said enthusiastically, "Onevu, this is your son, Mohatu."
Onevu drew closer to Tiifu and examined Mohatu nonchalantly. "He looks tiny," he replied. "Perhaps he won't live."
Tiifu's face dropped, and her heart took a blow, that Onevu disapproved of Mohatu, and that he would have the nerve to suggest that. She felt like clouting him there and then, but she didn't dare. "They're always small when they're only just born--", she started.
"Perhaps he won't live."
Tiifu met Onevu's eyes, his cold, unforgiving eyes. He really did disapprove of Mohatu. And God only knew what this resentment could lead to in the future.
Without another word, Onevu left the den to play with his prize son. As soon as she was assured that Onevu was out of earshot, Tiifu let out a sob of despair. She buried her face into Mohatu's fur, crying her eyes out. She couldn't believe how Onevu had reacted. Towards their son. Her son. The son for whom she had spent many painful hours to deliver. And the look in Onevu's eye. He looked at Mohatu like a termite, like something that must be terminated as soon as time would allow.
Tiifu gasped. Onevu would wish to do harm to their son. Shaking her head violently, Tiifu growled. No. She would not let it come to that. Onevu would not lay so much as a paw on her son. Mtundu was Onevu's golden child, Mohatu was hers. Whether Onevu liked it or not. "Nothing will ever harm you," Tiifu assured her son, "I won't let it."