Chapter 4: Ashes to Ashes

"Jaha!" Ahadi stormed into the cave, eyes burning with fury. Pamoja whined
and scurried away from her mother. Obioma followed slightly behind the Lion
King. Jaha narrowed her eyes at the old hyena, and winced slightly as she
stood up to face Ahadi.

"Yes My Liege?"

Ahadi's eyes burned with fury. "A hyena and a lion both said you killed one
of my lionesses! Is that true?"

Jaha turned to her pups. "Please go outside. The king and I have to talk."

The trio scurried out, Pamoja casting a fearful glance over her shoulder at
her mother before disappearing into the murky sunlight.

The pups wandered through the dusty bones of the Elephant's Graveyard.
Rukiya pushed a bone out of her way with her paw. "It's not fair!" she
muttered. "He didn't even let us say goodbye!"

"Yeah," Shomari agreed. "Stupid lion!"

Pamoja looked at her siblings incredulously. "We'll see her when we get
back." She offered.

Her elder sister gave her a hard look. "Are you really that thick?" she
asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you know the penalty for killing a Pride Lion?"

"No."

Rukiya lowered her voice. "Mom's not coming back. Ever."

Pamoja pulled back, startled. "But, he can't do that! We have nowhere to go
now!"

"Obioma will take care of us." Shomari mumbled as he put a paw around his
baby sister's shoulders. Pamoja drew back.

"But she was the one who exposed Mama!"

"Life works that way," Rukiya told her sternly. "We just have to accept
that."

"No!" Panicked, Pamoja ran full-fledged across the barren field of bones,
disappearing beyond a slope.

Rukiya started after her, but Shomari growled deep in his throat. "Let her
go...little wimp." He turned away, Rukiya glancing over her shoulder again
before following her older brother.

& & &

Wow. Short chapter, I know, even thought I promised. But I'm really lazy
right now. Oh wait, I'm lazy all the time. PD day, whoo-hoo! Anyways, thank
you all for reviewing! I'll have a longer chapter next time, I promise.
This time I'm serious. Really.