Chapter 8: Tragedy
Mohatu's eyes widened in terror in disbelief at what lay before him. There on the hard floor of the den lay Tiifu, motionless. No...no, no, no, no... thought Mohatu. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't happening. He broke through the barrier that held him there in the doorway and rushed to his mother's side.
"Mother," he whimpered. Ever so gently, he leaned down and nudged Tiifu. She didn't respond. "Mother," he said again, this time with uncertainty and fear entering his voice. He nudged her again, more desparately. Still no response. He began to tremble. Tiifu was dead. With a sigh of despair, Mohatu hung his head as the tears began to fall.
"Keep staring at her," a dangerous voice said, "she might do a trick."
Mohatu whirled around, wondering who dared mock his lamentation. Out of the shadows of the cave walked none other than Onevu, staring coldly at Mohatu. Mohatu's eyes widened. It couldn't be. This seemed all to similar to some sort of tragedy story he would have heard as a cub, to teach him some sort of moral lesson. But there was no moral lesson here. There was only him. Him and his mother--and the monster responsible for her death.
Mohatu began to tremble again, but this time, not with sadness or fear. Despair and anguish were replaced by ire and hatred as he watched his father walk closer to him. "You," Mohatu snarled, hatred seeping through his voice.
"Yes, Mohatu," Onevu replied, rather calmly. "Me."
Mohatu stared as his father walked closer. His breaths came more rapidly, more dry, more vicious. Onevu seemed, overall, unphased by his son's behavior.
"You seem sad," Onevu pressed. "Why ever would you feel sad?"
Filled with uncontrollable rage, Mohatu threw himself at Onevu. Onevu--though surprised by Mohatu's reaction--reared up on his hind legs and used his powerful forelegs to throw Mohatu backwards onto his back. Mohatu hit the ground with a sickening thud. Onevu watched nonchalantly as Mohatu gasped for breath, trying to figure out what had just happened. Patiently, Onevu waited, as if following some carefully-calculated plan to strike Mohatu's weak spot. Once Mohatu was able to figure out what had happened, and was staring up at Onevu once again with contempt, Onevu continued.
"So, tell me, Mohatu," he said in a seemingly uninterested voice, "how is Mzungu...your betrothed?"
The word betrothed, filled with venom, hit Mohatu like a slap in the face. Betrothed? He had never been aware that he was betrothed to Mzungu. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.
Onevu's expression changed instantly. Eyes burning into Mohatu like fire, he clouted Mohatu upside the head, sending Mohatu tumbling halfway across the cave. "Don't play dumb with me, you little ingrate!"
Opening his eyes painfully, Mohatu moaned. The world whirled around him. His head throbbed, and his ears rang so loud that he could barely hear Onevu's shouting. Shaking his head violently to bring everything back into focus, he saw the huge bulky frame of Onevu coming towards him. "Hmm, perhaps your mother didn't tell you," Onevu said thoughtfully, "didn't tell you that she had set you up with Mzungu without my prior approval." Stopping for a minute, he looked off into the distance and smiled, as if remininscing. "Your mother..." he started, "...she thought she was quite the smart one. Hiding secrets from me like that. Smiling to my face. Acting as if she were my loyal, loving mate. But she didn't know...didn't know that I was far smarter than she. The fool." His face filled with anger once more as he directed his gaze at Mohatu. "You certainly take after her."
He clouted Mohatu again, arousing a pain-filled scream from his son. Mohatu lay on the ground, trembling, helpless. He stared up at Onevu angrily. How he hated him. He wanted nothing more than to tear him apart and leave his filthy entrails all over the cave floor. But he would have to have no common sense to think he could take on Onevu. Though Mohatu was very bulky, Onevu was still huge compared to Mohatu. He could snap Mohatu's neck with one snap of his powerful jaws.
Onevu smirked at Mohatu triumphantly, and made his way slowly to his mate's carcass. Eyes half-lidden with boredom, he nudged her unceremoniously with a paw. "Don't feel too bad, Mohatu. This was destined to be her fate. Someone had to teach her a lesson."
He couldn't take it anymore. With a great cry of anger and vengence, he lunged toward Onevu. Suddenly, he saw a flash of copper, and then heard a loud thump as everything turned black. Pain shot through him as his head collided with the hard floor of the cave. At this rate, he'd be lucky if he didn't suffer some kind of cerebral hemorrhage. He had been hit enough times, gods only knew.
Upon opening his eyes, Mohatu saw Mtundu standing over him. However, Mtundu didn't look arrogant and menacing like he usually did. In fact, his fact was filled with utter confusion more than anything else. "Good gods, Mohatu, what are you doing?"
Mohatu didn't reply. His gaze shifted to Onevu, who stood there staring defiantly at him, daring him to spill what had just happened. Mtundu followed Mohatu's gaze to Onevu. Then, his eyes instantly fell upon the corpse of his mother laying on the ground.
"Mother!" he whimpered childishly. He ran over to Tiifu's body. He nudged her gently, but aroused no reply. He gasped, instantly realizing that his mother was dead. "What happened?" Mtundu turned to his brother and father, gaze shifting from one to the other, seeing who could provide him with an answer.
Mohatu gulped. He silently prayed that he wouldn't have to be the one to tell his brother that their mother was dead. Dead? No. She couldn't be. Not his mother. Not his mother whom had reared him and treated him with such kindness since the day of his birth. She couldn't be dead. Just couldn't.
Onevu--who had only moments ago looked so indifferent about the whole ordeal--sighed sadly and began to make his way over to Mtundu. His face was filled with anguish and--what Mohatu guessed--fake sadness.
"My son," Onevu said, his voice soothing and paternal, "I...I wish I didn't have to be the one to tell you." Mtundu gasped and his eyes widened, waiting for the emotional blow that was pending. "Your mother is dead."
"No!" cried Mtundu, tears flowing forth. "No, no, she's not! You're wrong! Wrong!"
Mohatu drew back. He had never seen his brother react this way. Mtundu had always been a stone--seemingly careless and unfazed by everything. But now, Mohatu was seeing a whole new side to his brother. A side that scared the life out of him.
Mtundu fell into Onevu and began crying into his father's mane. "Shhh," Onevu soothed. He gently stroked Mtundu's small mane. "It's all going to be okay."
Mtundu let out a wail. "Who...who w-would do such a thing?" he sobbed. "Why?"
Onevu sighed again, sadly. "I wish I could answer those questions for you, Mtundu," he said lovingly. "But I'm afraid the only one who can answer those questions"--Onevu suddenly turned to Mohatu, and met Mohatu's eyes with a cold, unforgiving gaze--"is your brother."
Mohatu's eyes widened in terror in disbelief at what lay before him. There on the hard floor of the den lay Tiifu, motionless. No...no, no, no, no... thought Mohatu. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't happening. He broke through the barrier that held him there in the doorway and rushed to his mother's side.
"Mother," he whimpered. Ever so gently, he leaned down and nudged Tiifu. She didn't respond. "Mother," he said again, this time with uncertainty and fear entering his voice. He nudged her again, more desparately. Still no response. He began to tremble. Tiifu was dead. With a sigh of despair, Mohatu hung his head as the tears began to fall.
"Keep staring at her," a dangerous voice said, "she might do a trick."
Mohatu whirled around, wondering who dared mock his lamentation. Out of the shadows of the cave walked none other than Onevu, staring coldly at Mohatu. Mohatu's eyes widened. It couldn't be. This seemed all to similar to some sort of tragedy story he would have heard as a cub, to teach him some sort of moral lesson. But there was no moral lesson here. There was only him. Him and his mother--and the monster responsible for her death.
Mohatu began to tremble again, but this time, not with sadness or fear. Despair and anguish were replaced by ire and hatred as he watched his father walk closer to him. "You," Mohatu snarled, hatred seeping through his voice.
"Yes, Mohatu," Onevu replied, rather calmly. "Me."
Mohatu stared as his father walked closer. His breaths came more rapidly, more dry, more vicious. Onevu seemed, overall, unphased by his son's behavior.
"You seem sad," Onevu pressed. "Why ever would you feel sad?"
Filled with uncontrollable rage, Mohatu threw himself at Onevu. Onevu--though surprised by Mohatu's reaction--reared up on his hind legs and used his powerful forelegs to throw Mohatu backwards onto his back. Mohatu hit the ground with a sickening thud. Onevu watched nonchalantly as Mohatu gasped for breath, trying to figure out what had just happened. Patiently, Onevu waited, as if following some carefully-calculated plan to strike Mohatu's weak spot. Once Mohatu was able to figure out what had happened, and was staring up at Onevu once again with contempt, Onevu continued.
"So, tell me, Mohatu," he said in a seemingly uninterested voice, "how is Mzungu...your betrothed?"
The word betrothed, filled with venom, hit Mohatu like a slap in the face. Betrothed? He had never been aware that he was betrothed to Mzungu. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.
Onevu's expression changed instantly. Eyes burning into Mohatu like fire, he clouted Mohatu upside the head, sending Mohatu tumbling halfway across the cave. "Don't play dumb with me, you little ingrate!"
Opening his eyes painfully, Mohatu moaned. The world whirled around him. His head throbbed, and his ears rang so loud that he could barely hear Onevu's shouting. Shaking his head violently to bring everything back into focus, he saw the huge bulky frame of Onevu coming towards him. "Hmm, perhaps your mother didn't tell you," Onevu said thoughtfully, "didn't tell you that she had set you up with Mzungu without my prior approval." Stopping for a minute, he looked off into the distance and smiled, as if remininscing. "Your mother..." he started, "...she thought she was quite the smart one. Hiding secrets from me like that. Smiling to my face. Acting as if she were my loyal, loving mate. But she didn't know...didn't know that I was far smarter than she. The fool." His face filled with anger once more as he directed his gaze at Mohatu. "You certainly take after her."
He clouted Mohatu again, arousing a pain-filled scream from his son. Mohatu lay on the ground, trembling, helpless. He stared up at Onevu angrily. How he hated him. He wanted nothing more than to tear him apart and leave his filthy entrails all over the cave floor. But he would have to have no common sense to think he could take on Onevu. Though Mohatu was very bulky, Onevu was still huge compared to Mohatu. He could snap Mohatu's neck with one snap of his powerful jaws.
Onevu smirked at Mohatu triumphantly, and made his way slowly to his mate's carcass. Eyes half-lidden with boredom, he nudged her unceremoniously with a paw. "Don't feel too bad, Mohatu. This was destined to be her fate. Someone had to teach her a lesson."
He couldn't take it anymore. With a great cry of anger and vengence, he lunged toward Onevu. Suddenly, he saw a flash of copper, and then heard a loud thump as everything turned black. Pain shot through him as his head collided with the hard floor of the cave. At this rate, he'd be lucky if he didn't suffer some kind of cerebral hemorrhage. He had been hit enough times, gods only knew.
Upon opening his eyes, Mohatu saw Mtundu standing over him. However, Mtundu didn't look arrogant and menacing like he usually did. In fact, his fact was filled with utter confusion more than anything else. "Good gods, Mohatu, what are you doing?"
Mohatu didn't reply. His gaze shifted to Onevu, who stood there staring defiantly at him, daring him to spill what had just happened. Mtundu followed Mohatu's gaze to Onevu. Then, his eyes instantly fell upon the corpse of his mother laying on the ground.
"Mother!" he whimpered childishly. He ran over to Tiifu's body. He nudged her gently, but aroused no reply. He gasped, instantly realizing that his mother was dead. "What happened?" Mtundu turned to his brother and father, gaze shifting from one to the other, seeing who could provide him with an answer.
Mohatu gulped. He silently prayed that he wouldn't have to be the one to tell his brother that their mother was dead. Dead? No. She couldn't be. Not his mother. Not his mother whom had reared him and treated him with such kindness since the day of his birth. She couldn't be dead. Just couldn't.
Onevu--who had only moments ago looked so indifferent about the whole ordeal--sighed sadly and began to make his way over to Mtundu. His face was filled with anguish and--what Mohatu guessed--fake sadness.
"My son," Onevu said, his voice soothing and paternal, "I...I wish I didn't have to be the one to tell you." Mtundu gasped and his eyes widened, waiting for the emotional blow that was pending. "Your mother is dead."
"No!" cried Mtundu, tears flowing forth. "No, no, she's not! You're wrong! Wrong!"
Mohatu drew back. He had never seen his brother react this way. Mtundu had always been a stone--seemingly careless and unfazed by everything. But now, Mohatu was seeing a whole new side to his brother. A side that scared the life out of him.
Mtundu fell into Onevu and began crying into his father's mane. "Shhh," Onevu soothed. He gently stroked Mtundu's small mane. "It's all going to be okay."
Mtundu let out a wail. "Who...who w-would do such a thing?" he sobbed. "Why?"
Onevu sighed again, sadly. "I wish I could answer those questions for you, Mtundu," he said lovingly. "But I'm afraid the only one who can answer those questions"--Onevu suddenly turned to Mohatu, and met Mohatu's eyes with a cold, unforgiving gaze--"is your brother."