Chapter 4: A New Friend?
"Mom, I'm gonna go outside," a voice called.
Tiifu opened her eyes a crack to see Mohatu standing in the mouth of the den, looking back at her awaiting a reply. Tiifu cocked her head to the side, confused. Mohatu usually avoided the outdoors like some terrible plague, and she had to practically shove him out the door to get him out of the den. This was the first time he had ever decided to go outside out of his own free will. Wondering what caused his sudden change of heart, Tiifu slowly, stiffly, got to her feet and sat down, staring at her son.
"You never want to go outside, Mohatu," she started, "what's changed your mind?"
Mohatu looked outside, then at his mother. With a sigh, he decided that he should explain himself. If he didn't, he would be under suspicious eyes until he did, and he didn't need to add that to his list of problems. "I...I have plans," he replied. "Mzungu told me to meet her outside today so she can..."--Mohatu shook his head, and corrected himself--"...so we could hang out for awhile."
A knowing smile broke across Tiifu's face. Well, we couldn't expect to keep them from eachother forever, she thought to herself. Shortly after Mohatu's birth, she and Yolanda had agreed that perhaps they should restrict Mohatu playing with Mzungu for awhile, to avoid any suspicions that might arise on Onevu's behalf. But still, they were betrothed, and should at least spend some time getting to know eachother. But what if Onevu should see them together? With a distasteful expression, Tiifu violently shook her head, ridding herself of such fears. She smiled again at her son. "That's wonderful, dear," she replied, "but make sure your brother and your father don't see." Tiifu prayed that Mohatu wouldn't ask why, and he didn't. He just nodded, and started out the den.
* * * *
Mohatu closed his eyes as the bright sun rays nearly blinded him as he stepped out of the darkness of the den. He had never seen the sun so bright; maybe it was a sign.
Slowly, he opened his eyes, trying to ease himself into the brightness. Just as everything came into focus, he felt himself being tackled to the ground. Pinned to the ground, Mohatu clenched his eyes shut. No doubt, his attacker was likely his brother Mtundu. "Please, Mtundu..." Mohatu pleaded, eyes still closed, "...I'll do anything...just don't hurt me..."
"Mtundu?" a feminine voice asked. "I'm not that bad-looking, am I?"
Surprised that his attacker was not Mtundu, Mohatu opened his eyes to see who it was. Standing over him was Mzungu, grinning away. Mohatu let out a huge sigh of relief. "Oh, Mzungu," he sighed, "it's only you."
"Only me?" Mzungu stepped off of Mohatu, allowing him to get to his feet. "So sorry, I didn't mean to disappoint you."
Mohatu rolled over onto his belly. "Disappointed?" he asked. "Why on Earth would I be disappointed to see you?"
Mzungu grinned coyly. "Good question," she replied, "get back to me when you have an answer." With that, Mzungu began to trot off, in the direction of a jungle that lay about a quarter-mile away. Confused that his guest was just leaving him so soon, Mohatu got to his feet and trotted after her.
"Wait a minute..." he started. "I thought we were gonna hang out?"
Stopping in her tracks, Mzungu turned around to face him. "Well, duh!" she replied. "Just not here. Do you really wanna hang out here, where Mtundu can get at you?"
This question required no thought on Mohatu's part. He would rather strangle himself with his own tail than have an encounter with Mtundu. Mzungu saw this written all over his face, and she smiled with satisfaction. She continued on her path that she had chosen especially for today. Mohatu fell into step behind her, struggling to keep up with her quick pace. He had never treaded along this trail before--it felt strange to his paws. But he would gladly bear blisters and knicks, as long as it would spare him from a thrashing from Mtundu. But a question still lingered in his mind: where were they going?
"Uh, Mzungu?" he asked. "Why are we going this way?"
"Oh, just shut your trap and try to keep up," Mzungu replied. Mohatu's jaw dropped. He had never thought that he would hear Mzungu speak in that manner. Maybe to Mtundu, whom she loathed, but not to him. But he decided to shrug it off. She probably meant no real harm in it.
Several moments--what seemed like hours to Mohatu--passed, and they were still on the path at the same fast pace. Mohatu had looked over his shoulder and noticed that Misty Rock was far behind them. And what was worse, he was growing tired. But Mohatu had learned his lesson--he would not question Mzungu on where they were going, or when they were going to get there.
Suddenly, Mohatu crashed into Mzungu, who had stopped right in front of him. He pulled back and shook off. Had he really been that deep in thought that he didn't notice her standing right in front of him? It was possible--he was a very deep thinker, a quality that his mother loved to emphasize as the quality of a great king-to-be. Mzungu turned around and looked at him, and Mohatu smiled sheepishly.
Raising her eyebrows in a surprised manner, Mzungu said, "Wow, so you do smile." Mohatu's smile quickly vanished and he averted his gaze. Mzungu smiled kindly, and caught him off guard by rubbing her nose against his. "You know, you look kinda cute when you smile. You should do it more often."
Mohatu started to blush a bit. Just when he was about to smile, he saw something moving out of the corner of his eye. He looked to his left and saw two cubs making their way toward them. As they drew closer, Mohatu saw that one of them was a male. He had rich brown fur, and had red eyes. The cub was bulky, though not fat. Mohatu deduced that all of this bulk was muscle, and it was obvious that the cub would be able to take Mohatu down with great ease. The other cub was a female. She had pale beige fur, and dark green eyes.
Mohatu had never seen these cubs before. Had they been friends of Mtundu, he would have met them already.
Mzungu left Mohatu's side, and walked over to the two cubs. "Hey guys," she greeted, "I didn't think you were gonna show."
The male cub chuckled. "Why wouldn't we?" he asked. "We'd never abandon a mission assigned by the great Mzungu."
Mzungu playfully cuffed him. The male cub groaned, and rubbed the spot where he had been hit. He then looked in Mohatu's direction. "So, is this Mohatu?" he asked.
Mzungu nodded. "That he is."
The male cub approached Mohatu, with the two females at his sides. "Well, hello there," he said, "Mzungu has told us sooooo much about you."
Mohatu began to tremble. He didn't like the tone in the cub's voice. It sounded just like Mtundu's--deceitful, cold, and wishing to do harm. "She has?" he asked, shrinking back.
The cub nodded, and the three began to circle Mohatu. "Oh yes," he replied. "You're the reason we're all here."
Mohatu shook harder. His gaze flicked from the male cub to the female cub. They both possessed the same deceitful gaze. He looked to Mzungu for support, but gasped when he saw the same look in her eyes, those beautiful amber eyes which had been so trustworthy only moments ago. "W-what are you gonna do?"
The male cub chuckled evilly. "Oh, Mohatu," he said, "you know what we're gonna do."
It all came clear to Mohatu now. Mzungu must have been a hired claw for Mtundu. She would fake a rescue, and make it seem like she wanted to help him. Then, she would lure him away from home and safety so she could arrange an ambush, and get rid of him. "No," he whimpered, as tears came to his eyes, "no, no, no, no..."
"Yes, Mohatu...yes, yes, yes," Mzungu hissed.
"No!" Mohatu shouted. He collapsed to the ground, covered his face with his paws. All the pain, torture, despair and betrayal of his life filled his soul, and he began to cry harder than he had ever cried before as he waited to die--alone, and unwanted.
"Mom, I'm gonna go outside," a voice called.
Tiifu opened her eyes a crack to see Mohatu standing in the mouth of the den, looking back at her awaiting a reply. Tiifu cocked her head to the side, confused. Mohatu usually avoided the outdoors like some terrible plague, and she had to practically shove him out the door to get him out of the den. This was the first time he had ever decided to go outside out of his own free will. Wondering what caused his sudden change of heart, Tiifu slowly, stiffly, got to her feet and sat down, staring at her son.
"You never want to go outside, Mohatu," she started, "what's changed your mind?"
Mohatu looked outside, then at his mother. With a sigh, he decided that he should explain himself. If he didn't, he would be under suspicious eyes until he did, and he didn't need to add that to his list of problems. "I...I have plans," he replied. "Mzungu told me to meet her outside today so she can..."--Mohatu shook his head, and corrected himself--"...so we could hang out for awhile."
A knowing smile broke across Tiifu's face. Well, we couldn't expect to keep them from eachother forever, she thought to herself. Shortly after Mohatu's birth, she and Yolanda had agreed that perhaps they should restrict Mohatu playing with Mzungu for awhile, to avoid any suspicions that might arise on Onevu's behalf. But still, they were betrothed, and should at least spend some time getting to know eachother. But what if Onevu should see them together? With a distasteful expression, Tiifu violently shook her head, ridding herself of such fears. She smiled again at her son. "That's wonderful, dear," she replied, "but make sure your brother and your father don't see." Tiifu prayed that Mohatu wouldn't ask why, and he didn't. He just nodded, and started out the den.
* * * *
Mohatu closed his eyes as the bright sun rays nearly blinded him as he stepped out of the darkness of the den. He had never seen the sun so bright; maybe it was a sign.
Slowly, he opened his eyes, trying to ease himself into the brightness. Just as everything came into focus, he felt himself being tackled to the ground. Pinned to the ground, Mohatu clenched his eyes shut. No doubt, his attacker was likely his brother Mtundu. "Please, Mtundu..." Mohatu pleaded, eyes still closed, "...I'll do anything...just don't hurt me..."
"Mtundu?" a feminine voice asked. "I'm not that bad-looking, am I?"
Surprised that his attacker was not Mtundu, Mohatu opened his eyes to see who it was. Standing over him was Mzungu, grinning away. Mohatu let out a huge sigh of relief. "Oh, Mzungu," he sighed, "it's only you."
"Only me?" Mzungu stepped off of Mohatu, allowing him to get to his feet. "So sorry, I didn't mean to disappoint you."
Mohatu rolled over onto his belly. "Disappointed?" he asked. "Why on Earth would I be disappointed to see you?"
Mzungu grinned coyly. "Good question," she replied, "get back to me when you have an answer." With that, Mzungu began to trot off, in the direction of a jungle that lay about a quarter-mile away. Confused that his guest was just leaving him so soon, Mohatu got to his feet and trotted after her.
"Wait a minute..." he started. "I thought we were gonna hang out?"
Stopping in her tracks, Mzungu turned around to face him. "Well, duh!" she replied. "Just not here. Do you really wanna hang out here, where Mtundu can get at you?"
This question required no thought on Mohatu's part. He would rather strangle himself with his own tail than have an encounter with Mtundu. Mzungu saw this written all over his face, and she smiled with satisfaction. She continued on her path that she had chosen especially for today. Mohatu fell into step behind her, struggling to keep up with her quick pace. He had never treaded along this trail before--it felt strange to his paws. But he would gladly bear blisters and knicks, as long as it would spare him from a thrashing from Mtundu. But a question still lingered in his mind: where were they going?
"Uh, Mzungu?" he asked. "Why are we going this way?"
"Oh, just shut your trap and try to keep up," Mzungu replied. Mohatu's jaw dropped. He had never thought that he would hear Mzungu speak in that manner. Maybe to Mtundu, whom she loathed, but not to him. But he decided to shrug it off. She probably meant no real harm in it.
Several moments--what seemed like hours to Mohatu--passed, and they were still on the path at the same fast pace. Mohatu had looked over his shoulder and noticed that Misty Rock was far behind them. And what was worse, he was growing tired. But Mohatu had learned his lesson--he would not question Mzungu on where they were going, or when they were going to get there.
Suddenly, Mohatu crashed into Mzungu, who had stopped right in front of him. He pulled back and shook off. Had he really been that deep in thought that he didn't notice her standing right in front of him? It was possible--he was a very deep thinker, a quality that his mother loved to emphasize as the quality of a great king-to-be. Mzungu turned around and looked at him, and Mohatu smiled sheepishly.
Raising her eyebrows in a surprised manner, Mzungu said, "Wow, so you do smile." Mohatu's smile quickly vanished and he averted his gaze. Mzungu smiled kindly, and caught him off guard by rubbing her nose against his. "You know, you look kinda cute when you smile. You should do it more often."
Mohatu started to blush a bit. Just when he was about to smile, he saw something moving out of the corner of his eye. He looked to his left and saw two cubs making their way toward them. As they drew closer, Mohatu saw that one of them was a male. He had rich brown fur, and had red eyes. The cub was bulky, though not fat. Mohatu deduced that all of this bulk was muscle, and it was obvious that the cub would be able to take Mohatu down with great ease. The other cub was a female. She had pale beige fur, and dark green eyes.
Mohatu had never seen these cubs before. Had they been friends of Mtundu, he would have met them already.
Mzungu left Mohatu's side, and walked over to the two cubs. "Hey guys," she greeted, "I didn't think you were gonna show."
The male cub chuckled. "Why wouldn't we?" he asked. "We'd never abandon a mission assigned by the great Mzungu."
Mzungu playfully cuffed him. The male cub groaned, and rubbed the spot where he had been hit. He then looked in Mohatu's direction. "So, is this Mohatu?" he asked.
Mzungu nodded. "That he is."
The male cub approached Mohatu, with the two females at his sides. "Well, hello there," he said, "Mzungu has told us sooooo much about you."
Mohatu began to tremble. He didn't like the tone in the cub's voice. It sounded just like Mtundu's--deceitful, cold, and wishing to do harm. "She has?" he asked, shrinking back.
The cub nodded, and the three began to circle Mohatu. "Oh yes," he replied. "You're the reason we're all here."
Mohatu shook harder. His gaze flicked from the male cub to the female cub. They both possessed the same deceitful gaze. He looked to Mzungu for support, but gasped when he saw the same look in her eyes, those beautiful amber eyes which had been so trustworthy only moments ago. "W-what are you gonna do?"
The male cub chuckled evilly. "Oh, Mohatu," he said, "you know what we're gonna do."
It all came clear to Mohatu now. Mzungu must have been a hired claw for Mtundu. She would fake a rescue, and make it seem like she wanted to help him. Then, she would lure him away from home and safety so she could arrange an ambush, and get rid of him. "No," he whimpered, as tears came to his eyes, "no, no, no, no..."
"Yes, Mohatu...yes, yes, yes," Mzungu hissed.
"No!" Mohatu shouted. He collapsed to the ground, covered his face with his paws. All the pain, torture, despair and betrayal of his life filled his soul, and he began to cry harder than he had ever cried before as he waited to die--alone, and unwanted.