A few years past since my mantlement as the new king. Living to my parents' expectations, I became, who everyone in the serengeti defined me, 'the greatest Lion King of my time.' Some of the older animals missed Ahadi, but they, along with the younger ones, grew to respect me. They all say I handle all situations with no problems; they say I'm flawless. Not really true. As I grew, my knowledge expanded, but I wouldn't have got too far without Taka and especially Busara. And the pride…yes, the pride…I loved all my gorgeous subjects. They were all friends, parents, and lovers to me…all in the same time. It was absolutely wonderful. I could never take them for granted. As for Sarabi, my darling finally gave birth to our child. The baby was a girl. I have a daughter, growing up to be three years old now. But, secretly, I hoped it would be a son, but maybe one day, Sarabi and I will have another cub. No, I guarantee it. However, Taka seemed the most proud and ecstatic. He should be; my heir is a girl, so she was no challenge for the throne for Taka. I respected that. Taka will be the next king after me.
My daughter's name is Zuhura. She had a pretty golden coat like mine, but much brighter. We found out that her eyes were strangely blessed with a pure purple color when she opened them. Sarabi even said she was a spitting image of her as a baby. Practically everyone fussed over her. She wasn't my legacy when I would step down, but she will be the best lioness out there, I know it.
Ahadi's majordomo, Kweu, stepped down and let his only son, Zazu, be mine. That bird has never been so happy. He's so devoted to me that he would naturally be by my side. But, suddenly, the responsibility made him more strict and flighty than before. Sometimes, he squawks over the most trivial things and takes them a bit too seriously. But, he still keeps me informed of the condition of the pridelands nevertheless. And Rafiki stays on as my medicine man and shaman. He cared for any of our wounds and was always free to help us in any given time.
Then, there are the hyenas. They still are trapped in the shadowy lands, the Elephant Graveyard. I continue to forbid any pride member to step foot in there. Sometimes, the new leader, Shenzi, and her lackeys, Banzai and Ed, would breach the pridelands and cause all sorts of trouble. But, I would send them back to their 'home' in every turn. They like to disobey me, but oddly enough, they and the other hyenas fear me. They hate me and they are scared of me. That's one sad downside of their hate.
Today, I just returned from my weekly morning patrol and climbed the steps of Pride Rock. I heard something in the den. It was singing. I recognized that beautiful voice. I heard it sung in my dreams and from her several times. I walked along the opening of the den and smiled at what I saw. It was Sarabi, singing motherly to our daughter in her arms. Sarabi gently nuzzled Young Zuhura and slurped her while Sarafina was conveniently watched her. Then, she continued singing by these words.
"Hear my whisper, listen to my harmony;
Answer me with your little purr and fall into fantasy.
Look at me; remember who you are to me;
Listen to the voice that speaks your sonorous lullaby."
Sarabi soon spotted me the moment she put our cub to sleep. She smiled at me and slowly gave Zuhura to Sarafina while still singing her lullaby to keep her asleep."Wishful miracles and sweet dreams await you;
Sleep, my baby, and I can see them, too."
After she let Sarafina sleep with Zuhura in her arms, Sarabi came to me and nuzzled under my chin. Then, we walked together up the pathway that leads to the top of Pride Rock.
On top of our kingdom, Sarabi and I were pressed against each other while we watched the morning sky together. Purring lovingly, she whispered, "Mufasa?"
"Yes?" I answered loyally.
"You've…always complimented on my singing. You say you never heard a more beautiful voice. But…"
"But, what?"
"I never heard you sing, so I can never praise you. Maybe we can be together just like this and sing together like all other couples do. I would love that."
I blinked and was caught aback after she asked me that. I looked to the side questionably and answered, "Well, I…never tried singing before. I don't know if I would sing as good as you."
"You don't have to be good like I am. I just want you to sing with me."
"Well, I'll try."
I was nervous to project my deep bass voice into a singing voice, but I gave it my best shot anyway, remembering the last lyrics of her lullaby and my favorite song.
"Every heartbeat is the same as my own;
Relax, my baby, with our spirits, be born…"
Sarabi smiled after each lyric and nodded in encouragement. She said, "That's it. That's it. Not bad." Each boost gave me the strength to sing better after each word. It wasn't the best, but Sarabi still loved hearing me sing. Then, we both sung together the last lyrics of the lullaby.
"Wishful miracles and sweet dreams await you;
Sleep, our baby, so we can see them, too…"
Singing then became one of our favorite activities from that day on. I couldn't be happier. After we were through talking with each other, Sarabi and I walked back down to the promontory. Then, she slowly made her way into the den. But, I called to her while she went in. "I'm going out. So, make sure you get your fill in your hunt before I come by."
"Okay. Be careful out there," Sarabi answered.
So, I turned to walk off. Then, suddenly, someone called me, "Daddy, wait for me!" I recognized that small girly voice anywhere. I wore my biggest smile and saw my little girl, Zuhura, running at me. "Well, if it isn't my little Zuhura!" I exclaimed. Zuhura ran circles around me while I slowly circled around, both of us laughing. Then, I stopped before I got too dizzy. But, I looked behind me to see Zuhura about to pounce at my tail. I grinned and waited for her. After she jumped, I quickly circled around and grabbed her fur in between her shoulder blades with my mouth, picking her from the ground. She struggled and moved around to get free, but, of course, she couldn't. "Let me go, Daddy!" she cried playfully.
Moving the back of my lips to talk, I replied, "So, you want to come with me?"
She nodded, "Uh-huh!"
I let Zuhura slowly down and looked toward Sarabi. "Well, I guess I'm taking her out with me."
"That's okay," Sarabi replied. "Now, Zuhura, mind your father and do what he says. Other than that, have fun."
"Okay, Mom!" Zuhura exclaimed.
She went over to hug her mother and ran back to my side as we walked off. But, I suddenly stopped to see my father on the edge of the promontory.
I was curious to what Father was up to. I looked toward Zuhura and whispered, "Zuhura, wait at the watering hole for me. I need to talk to your grandfather for a moment." Zuhura nodded and quickly ran off. After she disappeared, I walked to my father as the wind suddenly blew past me and carried my mane. The wind carried Father's mane as well when he heard me coming and turned his head around. I stopped to sit down and looked toward his solemn looking eyes. "Are you thinking about…?" I asked. He turned away from me and was silent until he answered me. "Do you think it weak of me to mourn so pitifully over her?"
"Of course not. Would you think I'm cruel that I should be so easy-going even after I lost her?"
Then, Father sat up and faced me with his trademark fatherly smile. He sighed, "I miss her so much. Our love we had was so enchanting in many ways. I would never left her to die like that if I was there in time."
"Do you sometimes…wish that she was still here with us?"
He didn't answer right away, but he kept a consistent expression as if he knew his answer before I could ask. I guess the silence was for effect and to keep me in suspense for his answer. I was working. Finally, he said, "No."
"No? But, why?" I wondered.
"If she were still here, would what happened afterwards happen at all? Would you want to change Uru's fate and also change the developments that took place here?"
He was right. I guess I'm being selfish since I really miss my mother. I assume that he would also be selfish to wish that Mother were still alive. "Also, remember the lesson I told you about. She's up there now alongside her fellow Great Queens of Past, and she will always watch the one she helped give birth to and will wait until she sees you again when you pass on. And I as well," Father continued, pointing to the sky with a single claw. Then, he walked past me, brushing his warm body against mine as he left me there. I was deep in thought. He was right about everything. And this just makes me become closer with my beloved Sarabi. But, something I was afraid to ask Father about came up. It was the mystery that Ru-gal left behind. Father said that Mother will always watch the one she helped give birth to from the skies. But, taking in account of what that hyena said, what about…Taka? Quickly, I called after him, "Hey, Father, do you want to come with Zuhura and me?!"
A bit after, Father and I walked off together to the watering hole in front of Pride Rock to meet up with Zuhura. As we got closer, from behind the rock near it, we spotted Busara there, already taking a sip. Also, I heard cubs laughing together. We stopped once we reached the pool and saw Zuhura wrestling around with another cub. I looked over to Busara, watching him still lapping the water. Eager to make conversation, I quickly padded next to him. I greeted, "Good morning, Busara." The grayish lion stopped drinking and stared up at me with a steely expression. But, he quietly replied, "Good morning, Mufasa." I stood over the watering hole and stared at my reflection through the ripples Busara was making. Then, I bowed down to take a drink. Both of us drank together. We were silent nearly the whole time, but I could tell we're bonding in our special way. I mean, Busara probably wouldn't answer me before; he would just continue drinking. Then, Busara stopped and called me, "Mufasa?"
I stopped and replied, "Yeah?"
"I'm glad Sarabi has you for a mate. I never seen her so happy for a long time."
"Well, thanks! I, ahem, tend to do that for people," I joked.
"Sure," Busara smirked, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, if she hadn't met you, I fear that she would suffer a most horrible fate. I don't think even I could help her if that happened.
"Well, hell, I'm flattered. But, what do you mean?"
Then, something crossed my mind. In my memories, I remembered something that Sarabi said that puzzles me. "You don't need to know. Let's just say that he's the reason I ran away from home." I still wonder who exactly is this 'he' Sarabi talks about. She seemed extremely distant about it, and I thought we could talk about anything. "Well, in any case, I'm glad I met her," I replied, trying to finish that sort of conversation. "But, how about you and Sarafina?"
"What about us?" Busara wondered in an annoyed tone.
"I'm curious how you two really set it off. Can you at least tell me that?"
"Well…I don't know."
"Oh, come on!" I urged. "You know my story! Tell me!"
"Well…okay. I'll tell you. But, no teasing me."
I nodded in answer. I lied down on my side and made myself comfortable while I listened. Busara lied down as well and, from what I see, he's blushing already and he hasn't started yet. But, he proceeded, "That Sarafina is a fine piece of work. I never could imagine a lioness like her. After you and Sarabi left, Sarafina and I remained at Destiny Rock. Sure, I was nervous when I'm near her; I can't get over how beautiful she is. But, when we managed to talk to each other, something unexpected happened."
"What?"
"We argued for the first time over a mouse."
I was taken aback at that answer, but I soon stifled my chuckle of amusement under my breath. But, I still wore a guilty, goofy grin. Busara continued, "Like I said, I never met a lioness like her. She's so brave and honest that she would stand up to me even when she's wrong at times when others were scared of me. We never saw eye to eye at all, but I felt attracted and interested in her stature. At the time, I questioned her, but the more I think of her, the more it's difficult to get her out of my mind."
"I see. So, how did it go?" I wondered, unable to resist asking that question.
"Well, I say it's like life. Like life, beauty comes and goes. But, the mark left behind is forever and eternally beautiful."
"Wow, I never pictured you being so poetic!" I awed. "I guess anyone could learn terms or phrases deep in nature if they're as wise and smart as you are."
"What's that, Mufasa? Are you implying that I'm just smart and nothing else?" Busara said indifferently. "I'm not some stick-in-the-mud! Why, I'll have you know that I've been known to be as much as a party animal as you could be! Did Sarabi ever tell you about the parties that we used to have at Destiny Rock? I was at every one!"
I laughed, waving my right paw at him, "I was joking."
"Daddy, can we go now?!"
I looked down to see Zuhura at my paw with the cub she was playing with next to her and Father right behind both of them with a tender paternal smile. This lioness cub is Busara and Sarafina's daughter, Kayura. She had a sleek and pure black fur coat and gray underbelly and muzzle. Her eyes were red like her father's and her tail lashed with a small gray tuff. "Of course, dear. What, did you want your friend to come along, too?"
"Please?"
"Geez, why do you want to bring me along? Uncle Mufasa takes us to the most boring places," Kayura pouted.
I scoffed coyly, "Oh? Was that what you said yesterday when you riding big leaves down the humps of the Sahara?"
"I meant that my father is more 'funner' than you."
"Hey, then maybe he could teach me something when he tags along. How about it, Busara?"
Busara grinned, "Why not? I have to prove that I have a sense of fun to you, don't I?"
"All right! Let's go!" the cubs exclaimed.
Finally, Busara, Father, and I went off to take our daughters on a playdate.
Around the grasslands, Busara and I walked side by side up a mound. I looked behind my shoulder to see Zuhura and Kayura leap and swipe at Father playfully while they ran beside him. I chuckled and looked back to Busara who was also looking back to them. "I bet Father enjoys playing with cubs again," I commented.
"Did you and Taka give him that much trouble?" Busara replied.
"Trying to be funny, eh? What about you? What's your parents like?"
"My father was a traveler, eager to see the entire continent of Africa. He only settled down for a little while when he first met Mother. I barely remember her face, if not at all. You see, Father wanted a legacy; he didn't care about love. So, he mated her, I was born, and he took me away from her. I never saw her again."
"Oh, that's…selfish."
"Not at all. Several rogue lions are like that; you, on the other paw, are brought up differently."
After we made it at the top of the mound, Zuhura and Kayura ran past our paws and laughed excitedly to see the meadow where Sarabi and I done it for the first time, the Meadow of Dreams. "It's so beautiful!" Zuhura exclaimed. "Oh, are those sunflowers? Come on, Kayura; let's put a flower behind your ear!"
"No way! I hate flowers!" Kayura pouted.
But, Zuhura went ahead and nudged Kayura down the hill. I laughed as Father rested beside me. He inhaled the sweet air and exhaled, "Ahh, I always feel so at ease here."
"Yeah. Even though she wasn't serious when we were here, I can never forget the moment Sarabi and I shared here. I proclaimed my love for her and mated her in this very spot," I added.
"Are you serious, son? I've done it with Uru here, too."
"This place must have a lot of publicity from couples," Busara said. "Sarafina and I done it here, as well."
I shrugged and purred in amusement. We walked down the hill and made it in the meadow while the cubs were playing around. I stretched and groaned before I fell to my side to relax. Father collapsed purposely after me while Busara gracefully drooped down on his belly. While we rested in the grass as the clouds go through the sky, I yawned and closed my eyes…
…After my roar atop the promontory of Pride Rock, all the lionesses cheered ecstatically. They accepted me as their new king rather quickly, not that I was complaining. I heard several comments such as "Mufasa is the greatest lion ever! He's so brave! Thanks to him, Ru-gal will never bother us again! We're blessed with a true hero! He's so wonderful! Tell us how you did it!" I looked down and roared down to them, "My subjects! Friends and family, even though I will always empathize for this tormented soul, Ru-gal's fall leads us to a new rise in our lives! And I will rule and help prosper this land the best I can! With your help, our dearly departed queen, Uru, will rest knowing that we will live happily during the reign of King Mufasa!" Everyone cheered and hollered in answer. I briefly saw Sarabi and Father smiling after me. I grinned proudly and sighed contentedly…
…Behind Pride Rock, while two lionesses sat in front of me, I paced around in front of them, explaining my story they asked of me. "After I got him away from Father, it was just the two of us, eye to eye. I couldn't explain the ecstasy I had fighting her; it was like a passion. But, anyway, we swung our claws at each other and…pow! We hit each other simultaneously!" As I said that last sentence, I swiped my paw in gesture of my storytelling. The lionesses gasped; they were obviously intrigued. Then, suddenly, someone called out, "Look! There he is!" I looked over to see Rhodesia running down the hill with three others following her. "Mufasa! Our savior!" they cried. After they joined the other lionesses, one of them said, "We wanna hear the story, too!"
"Yes! Please tell us!" other said.
"Wait, I could've sworn I told a few of you earlier," I said, rolling my eyes. "Oh, never mind. Anyway, we bumped heads at one point, and that really hurt. I ran off before she could swipe me over the head."
I ran off as I said that and twirled around towards the lionesses. "Ru-gal was mad that I dodged that. She sprang…" Then, spontaneously, I leapt high into the air and took a big swipe in midair while I said, "…But, I leapt as well and swiped her hard into the ground!" I landed in the middle of the group of lionesses, having them gasp out. But, they awed with an "oooh" sound. I walked out the group in a proud and dignified manner while I coyly lashed my tail under Rhodesia's chin. I couldn't help it; I really like that girl. I turned around and exclaimed, "Ru-gal was in pain and let loose a shrilly howl. Rahhhhhh!!! That scream made my fur stand on end." The lionesses continued to awe with gleaming eyes. Then, someone called, "You bitches! That's not fair!" We all looked up the hill again and saw NINE lionesses running down it! "We wanna hear the story, too!" I blinked in disbelief that the lionesses are giving me so much attention. As those lionesses joined the others, two approached me and nuzzled into each side of my mane. I was caught off-guard as they touched me. One of them wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her nose against mine. "That's right; we want to hear every bit of how you beat Ru-gal! Isn't that right, girls?" Then, this same lioness planted a big kiss on the right side of my muzzle. The other lioness nuzzled around my body and came to my left shoulder. "Yes, everything! How did you do it? How did you defeat Ru-gal?" she replied to the kissing one.
"Hey, step off!" one of the lionesses of the group exclaimed. "He's MY lion!"
"No, he isn't! He's MINE!" the lioness on my left shot back.
"You're both wrong. He's SARABI'S," another said.
Then, all 15 lionesses started to argue amongst themselves. I laughed and broke myself away from the two lionesses that were hitting on me. "Now, now, ladies. You wanted to hear my story, didn't you?" Everyone quickly kept quiet and gave me back their undivided attention. "Now then, Ru-gal was talking all this crap that she and I were kindred spirits, but I blew her off and told her that she'll pay for taking Mother away from me. She went crazy! She almost had me! She pushed me down this very edge to the grass below," I continued, pointing to the edge I speak of. "I flew on my back and looked death in the face when Ru-gal dropped down at me. But, I got back up…" Then, I leapt up again, saying "…And I took her down to the ground, pinning her hard like THIS!" Upon saying that, I landed on the ground with a loud thump to make my point. I was exaggerating though, being that Ru-gal pinned ME around this point. But, the lionesses believed every word and awed. It was okay to stretch the truth to them; they would exaggerate telling each other when they argue over me anyway. "Ru-gal got lucky and slipped out of my grasp and slapped me. That really got me pissed, and I unsheathed my claws finally. After all that time, I wasn't even serious because I fought with my claws in."
The lionesses cried excitedly, saying things that overlapped each other. "That's showing her, Mufasa! She never had a chance! Mufasa can't be defeated! He's the greatest! I believed in you the whole time!"
"Ru-gal was insane. She charged at me and howled. This was it: the last strike that will decide everything. We met each other, and we struck. It seemed to be a stalemate, but she fell to her side. I won!"
The lionesses cheered happily and even sighed in relief. Finally, I concluded, "Yes, she was a death-defying enemy. But, the final victory was mine. The tragic Ru-gal is silenced forever, may her soul rest in peace."
"Yay!" everyone exclaimed. "What a lion! God bless you, Mufasa! Thank you, Mufasa! At last, we're rid of Ru-gal! I love you forever, Mufasa!" The lionesses' cheers and praises continued…
…I reopened my eyes and purred with a big smile, remembering all that attention. I try not to let get to my head, but sometimes I can't help myself. At least I wasn't hurting anyone. Then, I overheard a conversation between Busara and Father that I nearly slept through. "Be serious with another lioness?" Father said in surprise.
"It's just a suggestion," Busara replied.
I quickly turned around toward them and got into the conversation. "You can't be serious asking my father that," I said. "Maybe it's like that with your father, just mating any complete stranger just to have cubs. But, that's not how we work."
"Mufasa's right," Father agreed. "Uru is the most beautiful lioness that entered my life and will forever be my one true love. I will mate with another lioness anytime, but, no matter what, I will never be seriously infatuated with another woman."
"That's right. Would there really be another lioness like Sarafina?"
"Hmm. I thought so. I understand. It never crossed my mind to mate with another lioness anyway. So, I guess I'm stuck with her," Busara said.
Suddenly, a scream was heard. We gasped simultaneously, "The cubs!"
All three of us hurried to where the cubs could be. Suddenly, I saw something up ahead. The cubs were surrounded by two hyenas! Zuhura was cowering behind Kayura while she was snarling at the grinning hyenas. Quickly submitting to my beastly self, I roared out loud. The hyenas looked away and saw me coming. They gasped and tried to run away. One did, but I swiped the other one to the side, snarling. "Daddy!" Zuhura cried, hugging to my left arm.
I looked down and growled, "Zuhura, stay back."
Zuhura slowly stepped away and I looked over to see Busara nudge Kayura away from him. I looked towards Father and said, "Dad, watch the cubs, okay?" He nodded, stepped back, and led the cubs to safety. Busara then exclaimed, "Look, there's more of them up ahead!" I looked to see quite a few hyenas gathering around one spot. I looked harder and gasped to see a big brown lump surrounded by them. It was a lion! I roared, "Busara, let's hurry!" Busara and I ran together towards the group of hyenas. We saw them pulling the unconscious lion by all four legs. Busara roared, leapt before me, and swiped away one hyena. I came at two hyenas and snarled at them. They let go of the lion and leapt at me. I swatted one away, twirling to my left, and back-kicked the other with the back of my right hind foot. I roared menacingly at these mutts until they decide to run away. I looked to see that Busara chased away the others. "They better not let me catch them still in the Pridelands," I snarled to myself. Then, Father ran to us with the cubs following him. Zuhura came at me and nuzzled my leg. "Daddy, are you okay?"
"Of course, my dear," I replied.
"Well, duh, of course they're all right!" Kayura exclaimed. "Our dads are the best fighters around! No wimpy hyenas can beat them!"
"Hmm, I guess so," Father chuckled. "So, what were they doing here?"
"Well…"
I turned to the lion and curiously eyed him. "They were trying to eat this guy, I suppose," I answered. This lion had a very dark brown fur coat and a large, attractive black mane. What's very odd is that he was so large. His belly is huge, plump, not to mention just plain fat! This obese lion must have a great appetite, but how did he wind up in the situation we found him in? Busara put his ear to his chest to listen for a heartbeat. "It's faint, but he's still alive," he said.
"Are you sure, Dad?" Kayura wondered. "I saw the lion already lying there before the hyenas came by. Wouldn't they know if something's dead or not?"
I stepped toward the lion and sniffed him carefully. I shifted my nose and scowled, "No wonder. He was a strange scent on him. He smells like a dead corpse." I felt that we all should just leave him here. But, my compassion led me to nudge the side of his head, purring. "Hey. Wake up. Are you okay?" I called. Suddenly, his large arm twitched sharply and swiped at me. I quickly jumped back, but I stared as this lion regained consciousness and started to struggle back on his feet. His weight was overwhelming to his condition, apparently. He was not well at all. Then, when he finally stood up straight, he turned his head at me while his four legs shook without stability. His eyes were closed shut while he was straining in his pain. Slowly, he struggled to open his eyes for me. Wearily, he showed all of us eyes the color of the grass we walk on. They remind me so much of Taka. He groaned helplessly, "P…please…he…help…m…m…me…" Then, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he fell hard on the ground, unconscious again! I gasped and went to him, quickly thinking of what to do next. I looked toward Dad and asked, "Dad, isn't there a oasis close to where we are?"
"Yes. There should be," he replied.
"Okay. We're going to help this lion before we pass judgment. You go find an antelope or something and bring it to the oasis. Kids, you hurry back home at Pride Rock and don't worry about us. But, if the pride's back from their hunt, only tell your mothers about this. Don't tell anyone else. And Busara, I need you to help me bring this guy to the oasis so we can give him some water."
Dad hurried off one way, and the cubs quickly hightailed it back home. I walked to the front of the lion while Busara went to the middle. I grabbed him by the neck and tried to pull him up from the ground. Damn! He was so heavy, my legs were shaking as I struggled! And I really suffered when I threw him in midair so I can slide under him. His body crushed me, making me split my legs and fall on the ground on my belly. I gasped out and blinked incredulously. How in the hell did he get this heavy? I heard Busara laugh to himself. I scowled in answer and gritted my teeth as I struggled to lift this lion and get back on my feet. Then, Busara took the chance to slide under the lion's belly to help support him and me. It kept us a while, but we stood back up, but this enormous weight made it hard for us to move right. From where we am now, it's going to be a good, long hike to the oasis. So, we turned west and headed for it, receiving the biggest workout of our lives.
After a few minutes that seemed like hours, Busara and I finally made it to the oasis. I stood next to the water and gladly dropped the lion off my back, making a loud thud on the sand. I stopped to sit down and pant heavily to myself. Both of my fights with Ru-gal weren't as tiring as this is. I bowed down my head and shut my eyes as I pant and pant. Busara lied down in front of me and stopped to catch his breath as well. "That was a sample of living hell," he growled. I groaned in answer. Suddenly, I heard lapping sounds in the water behind me. I turned around to see that the lion woke up again and wasted no time to take a big drink. I smiled in relief and turned around. "You're still alive," I said. He stopped taking sips and turned towards me. I saw relief in his eyes and he finally purred to me in a deep, raspy and bass tone of voice, "Thank…you."
"It was no problem…" I replied, but stopped as my shoulders pulsed in pain. "…no problem at all."
"Nobody was ever done that for me in a long time. Not since I last saw my mate."
"How so?"
"I left my mate behind one day, and I never saw her again after that. I was fooled…by my so-called allies!" he snarled.
"Your friends?"
"No! My allies. I had no friends…ever."
I raised an eyebrow at this odd lion. Busara walked to my side, sat down, and asked, "What do you mean by 'had?' Don't you mean 'have?'"
"Well, I might have met my very first ones. Others would just leave me to die, but you two didn't. I can see that you with the red mane must be a king; your appearance…and the great scent of lioness on you is a pretty good clue."
"Observant, aren't you?" I replied. "Well, I'm pretty observant as well. Just how on Earth did you get this belly?"
I gently pawed his belly as I said that. Then, suddenly, he took my paw with his and chuckled, "That tickles. Well, I love feasting; I couldn't help it."
"Apparently," I smiled.
"My name is Vumi. And you?"
"Mufasa," I replied. "Well, Vumi, how did you end up where I found you?"
"I went for a while without water and proper nutrients. I didn't lose my weight as I traveled to find my home, but now I realize that I've been going the wrong way. Weak and weary, I thought I was going to die and passed out. Hell was ready to greet me on the other side, but I felt a touch from a true angel."
Then, I looked over to see Father dragging an antelope toward us. "Oh, you're here," I said. He put down the antelope as Busara and I walked to him. "I see he's woken up," he said. I quickly put my paw to his lips to keep him quiet for a moment. I looked toward Busara and gestured silently for him to take the antelope to Vumi. Busara got the idea and dragged it to him. I turned back to Dad and gestured for him to follow me.
We went behind the bushes to obscure ourselves from Vumi. "What is it, son?" Dad wondered.
"I need your opinion, Father," I replied. "That lion's name is Vumi. What does he look like to you?"
"Well, by the way he looks, he never misses a meal. It's very odd that he would lose energy with that huge gullet. Other than that, I'm not too sure. I'm usually a pretty good judge of character."
"He didn't lose energy," Busara suddenly whispered.
We looked to see that Busara joined us. "I took a closer look at this lion and saw that all four of his paws are broken. He won't be moving for a long while," he added.
"What do you think of him, Busara?" I wondered.
"Well, I am uncertain about this guy. He said that he has no friends and that his allies abandoned him. It makes me wonder what he did, don't you?"
"Not to mention that he said that no one showed him kindness for a long time except for his mate and yet he leaves her," I added. "However, I do pity that he can't move on his own anymore, and I believe he still wants to live."
"I suggest that we humor this lion for now and show him some pity. Maybe we'll learn a bit more about him as time progresses," Dad suggested. "And maybe we should tell Rafiki about this and see if he can help."
"Exactly what I was thinking," I nodded.
"Okay, but we watch him…carefully," Busara sneered.
We nodded as we came to an agreement. "Sire!" someone called from the skies. I recognized that voice. Busara, Father, and I looked up to see Zazu flying to us. He fluttered onto the ground, panting as if he was flying quite a while. "Mufasa, Busara, I need help! Taka's disappeared; I can't find him anywhere."
"Don't worry. Taka always turns up, sooner or later," I replied, thinking this insignificant. "We've got a urgent problem here and now."
"But, I saw him set foot beyond the borderlands. Does he have permission? Did he even tell you that he would go so far away?"
"He what?!" Dad exclaimed.
"Yes, I see what you mean," Busara said.
We nodded to each other in agreement. I was beginning to worry about Taka for a while now. What could he be up to? Could this be what he's always doing when he goes off on his own? "Okay, everyone get back to Pride Rock. I'll catch up; I just need to talk to our guest back there," I said. With that, everyone quickly headed back to Pride Rock. I turned and walked to Vumi who was eating that antelope rather quickly. "Vumi, I have to go now," I said. He stopped eating and looked up at me. "You want to leave me here now?" he purred.
"Uh, yes. Something urgent came up. But, I'll be back tomorrow. You just relax and sleep. We'll even inform our medicine man to look at your…condition."
"Very well. Thank you."
I nodded and turned away to walk back home.
As the day went on, everything was normal. The pride and I ate our fill for the day, and the cubs played and caused a bit of trouble all around the place. I slept for a while and even made love to some of the pride several times over. But, as the day went by, Taka still didn't show himself. Everyone in the pride knew about this, even Rafiki. Zazu did his best to fly about the Pridelands to see if he would appear. But, even he couldn't spot him. I grew more worried and scared about his disappearance. I couldn't bare if I lost him like we both lost Mother. Where could he be?
It was the late afternoon around this time. But, Taka still didn't show up. All of us were behind Pride Rock, everyone in the pride very concerned and worried. I sat in front of Sarabi's favorite resting rock with Sarabi herself nestled against me to give me comfort. Zuhura and Kayura were napping together beside us with three more cubs near them. Rafiki was sitting on another boulder with Zazu standing to the right of it. Busara impatiently paced around in front of Sarafina, and Father was staring at the sky solemnly while the rest of the pride were either lying or sitting around. Suddenly, we heard a flock of birds fly above us in the sky and watched them disappeared in the distance in front of the setting sun. After all our silence, Busara finally sighed, "Taka's not back yet. Where could he be?"
I gulped and answered, "He should be back by now. I'm worried."
Sarabi nudged me and purred, "Yesterday, Taka was acting weirder than usual when he came to us after we put Baby Zuhura to sleep. He seemed sad and cynical."
"Really?"
I never noticed the expression he had when he greeted us yesterday. Then, Father said, "But, what could he be sad about? He's gotten over his mother's death, more or less, and he's set to be the next king after Mufasa. He was elated." That was true, too, I thought. Then, Zazu suddenly said, "Well, now that I think about it, he was sad about one thing." Everyone looked toward Zazu in obvious interest, especially me. "What's that, Zazu?" I asked.
"Yesterday, I greeted him, just to be friendly. But, I later found out that he was in envy of both you and Busara."
"What did we have that we would envy us?" Busara wondered.
Zazu continued, "I explained that the Pridelands seemed right again after all that happened. I also said that everyone was prosperous and I never saw Mufasa so happy for a long time now that he has Sarabi. I even thought Busara turned out to be a decent guy after he married Sarafina."
Suddenly, things were adding up in my mind and, while Busara and Sarafina chuckled to each other after that last comment, I stepped forward and snarled at Zazu. "Finish the story!"
Zazu jumped and flew up in the air at my head level, squawking, "Uh! After I said that, Taka started to look a bit glum and said that you two were indeed happy with your girls…!"
Then, Father stepped forward next to me and roared at Zazu, "You idiot! That's why Taka disappeared! You had to go mention that Mufasa and Busara had mates and he's the only lion around here that doesn't!!"
Zazu quickly fluttered upwards and perched on the rock near Rafiki. "I'm sorry, your majesties!" he cried. "But, I was only making conversation! Besides, after the way both Mufasa and Busara moon around with Sarabi and Sarafina, do you think Taka already noticed before I said anything?!" Father and I calmed down after he said that; he did have a point. "Sorry, young Zazu," Father apologized. I nodded silently to add to his apology. As everyone else talked about it, I thought to myself. Taka feels like I owned this pride now that every lioness here is my mate. I don't think it's right for Taka to mate with any of them now while I'm still living. But, even if he could, he didn't want anyone from here. The only lioness he ever loved here was Sarafina, and Busara took her from his grasp. He didn't love anyone else that way. So, he must of left on his own to find a mate of his own. Everyone else figured this out as well. Most of us bowed down our heads in reflection of this predicament. Zazu murmured, "I hope…he finds one and returns to us safely. He's our future king."
"I will. It's the nature of a lion," Father murmured. "If it's to find love in his life, I could never scold him for leaving on his own."
"But, if he does, what if he decides to…stay with her, wherever he found her, and never returns?" Rafiki said.
That suggestion struck us hard. Would Taka really disappear from our lives…without saying goodbye? That's Mother's death all over again. I shook my head vigorously in protest. I can't…no, won't believe it! Even Father felt that way once he pawed the ground hard. "Don't say that!" he snapped at Rafiki. "He'll come back. We just have to wait him out. We can't force him to come home now at this point." I looked around to see everyone very uncertain how they feel about this. I sure didn't feel right about it. He's my little brother. I felt like I should help take care of him, like a guardian. But, he's making such a big decision by himself. He's growing up, but I didn't like how he just left without word. If he was embarrassed to say anything, he could always tell me. That's what brothers do, isn't it? I'm his…keeper, aren't I??
A moment later, I rested along my sleeping rock in the den. I was thinking to myself. Taka couldn't even tell me about before he left. I didn't understand. Shifting through the green grass, I thought hard about it. Yesterday, before Taka walked in on us in the den, Sarabi and I were putting Zuhura to sleep. No, wait. That wasn't all. After she did go to sleep, Sarabi and I played our usual kissing games and went into a forlonged kiss in the lips for quite a while. Then, after we broke away, Taka came in. He must've saw us kissing. Oh dear. I haven't taken in account of Taka's feelings. I made him jealous that I had a mate and he didn't. My darling and I are so much in love and became so committed to sexual infatuation that we made everyone know it. And Busara and Sarafina must be the same way. I felt ashamed. I should apologize to him. But, where could he be?
"Daddy?"
I looked to see Zuhura walking toward me. "Oh, Zuhura, you woke up?" I purred.
"Yes. I wanted to sleep with you."
She hopped on the rock I lied on and lied down, nuzzling into the middle of my left side. "Daddy, is Uncle Taka gone forever?" she wondered.
"No, no," I nodded. "He'll come back, I know it. Just give him time. Just sleep; we have a big day tomorrow."
I curled up with Zuhura in the middle of me and we both fell fast asleep for the day.