The defeated

"Herded the lionesses?" With a worried expression, Sarafina looked at the monkey. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I think I know", Taka murmured under his breath. "And you're not going to like it."

"I'm afraid it means exactly what it sounds like", Rafiki explained. "As you probably have noticed by now, back in these days our world was a much crueler one. Wars like this one between Taka's pack and their neighbors were not uncommon. There were many reasons the packs fought each other, mostly territory and resources like food and water. In this case it was a ruse of the terrorcats. But no matter what had caused the war, in the end it was always the same procedure. When male lions of those days had conquered an enemy's territory by killing all the pack's males, they claimed it by the right of combat with everything that came with it… including the survivors, who were forced into submission. Usually, the pack leader would claim the lionesses of the defeated pack and in some cases offer some of them to his followers. That way, the lionesses were integrated into the victorious pack as the lowest in the hierarchy, forced to bend to every command of their new masters."

"And they were ok with that?" Sarafina shook her head in disbelieve. "How could they? Why didn't they run or try to avenge their mates and their king?"

"Well, for sure many of them whished to do so", Rafiki agreed. "But it rarely occurred that a lioness actually did that. Fighting back was no option for most of them. They were hunter, no warriors like the males and inferior to them in strength and fighting force."

"Still. I'd rather die fighting my mate's murderer than bow to him!", Sarabi declared and proudly raised her head. "I can't believe it was rare this happened. Were they all cowards back then?"

"I know you would, my love", Mufasa said warmly and rubbed his cheek against hers.

"Your words honor you, my dear. But not everyone is as brave as you are", the mandrill explained. "Do not underestimate the fear of death if you haven't experienced it. And we should keep in mind that it requires just as much, if not even more bravery to live and face the hard, new circumstances. To be strong those who would be left behind. A friend, a sister, a cub that would be left motherless. Would you call that cowardice?"

Thoughtfully, Sarabi looked down on her paws.

Side-eying her, Taka could barely hide a grin. He enjoyed it that for once, the seemingly flawless queen-to-be had – in a way – been scolded.

"And what about running away?", Sarafina asked, recalling the first option of her initial question.

Of course, Rafiki had an answer for that too. "A rogue's life was far different than the romanticized view the younger generation of nowadays make it appear", he said. "The life in a pack was already a constant fight for survival. If he was strong and lucky, a male could make it for a while on his own, but for a lone lioness it would have been a death sentence. In those days there was worse to fear than hostile rogues and hyenas…"

Sarafina gulped, imagining all the terrors this ancient world had to offer.

While a moment of silence passed, a thought came to Taka's mind. He cleared his throat. "Uhm, Rafiki, I just remembered something from the scary stories we've been told as cubs. Is it true, that back in the days, when a lion took the throne of another, he continued to kill his predecessor's cubs as well?"

"Don't be ridiculous, brother." Mufasa shook his big head. "Those were fairytales, legends like the Zimwi. Our ancestors weren't as civilized as we are, no doubts, but surely they weren't as cruel as the terrorcats."

Rafiki sighed. "Actually, Taka is not about this. At least not entirely. It wasn't always the case, but sometimes it happened that when a lion usurped another pack leader, he continued to kill the male cubs of the pride to prevent them from taking revenge on him when they grew up. The female cubs were usually allowed to life, mostly as a tool to keep the subdued lionesses in check. You shouldn't be so quick calling something untrue just because it's a legend. There is always some truth in a legend, as unlikely as it may sound."

"No wonder the lioness was so terrified when Taka caught her cub", Sarafina said.

"Well, I guess seeing her mate being killed by him had something to do with it too", the other Taka snorted.

"I guess." Sarabi glared at him, disapproving his tone of voice. "But he spared the cub, didn't he, Rafiki?"

"Yes", the mandrill said, smiling warmly. "And he went even further. When his pack leader decided to grant him two of the defeated lions as a reward for his effort in the fight and as some sort of compensation for his loss, he chose this lioness and her cub to ensure no further harm would come to them."

AN: Another short chapter of explaination. What do you think about this way of telling the story so far?

Anyway, it is confirmed (if it wasn't entirely clear before), Taka spared the cub from the previous chapter. Anyone who wants to guess his name? Little hint: You probably know him already and he is not an OC...