CHAPTER TWO

"Dad's gonna show me the whole Pridelands," Mufasa announced proudly, standing tall with his head raised and eyes half-closed. His tufted tail was curled over his back.

Taka narrowed his yellow-green eyes, padding over to his older brother. "That's great," he replied with an uneasy smile, pressing his forehead briefly to Mufasa's before drawing back to look up at him once more. Then he added slowly, "But what about me?"

"He didn't mention you. Bet you're coming too, though," He walked past him with an extra spring in his step, and Taka scurried after him like an obedient puppy. "Don't get your whiskers in a twist,"

Though he didn't like to accept it, Taka knew that their father preferred Mufasa. He was everything a king wanted in his future successor – strong, big, brave, smart, loyal, and, most importantly, a natural-born leader with confidence and self-assurance to back him up. He knew that everyone liked his brother better - why wouldn't they? He was perfect, and Taka was just the nervous runt who hadn't even begun to grow his mane yet.

Taka shrugged his bony shoulders, watching the ground as he trailed after the golden lion cub. "Yeah," he muttered, not fully convinced, "I guess," His paws scuffed over the uneven earth, kicking up dust and small rocks. Then he looked up, wanting to change the awkward subject, not that Mufasa really knew how to feel awkward. "When is he taking us?"

"Tomorrow morning at dawn. Man, it's gonna be so cool!" He sprang in the air like a happy gazelle, making Taka chuckle softly.

"You bet,"

"I'm gonna be the best king ever!" Mufasa boasted, loud enough for the whole pride to hear. They all turned to him and cheered their support, light-hearted laughter filling the cave. "Those evil hyenas won't know what to do with themselves, they'll be so scared. And if I have a kid, I'll let them do whatever they want – no rules for anyone!"

While the rest of the pride gathered around Mufasa to offer their congratulations, Taka escaped from the throng of lionesses and stood back to watch, sitting down heavily. Even Sarabi stumbled over to chew on the eldest son's ear, making Mufasa chuckle. He bawled her over gently and they play-fought for a few minutes, the grownups watching the sight proudly.

Taka chewed on his bottom lip. He was happy for his brother, he really was. He loved him more than anything, and basically fed off his emotions. But that didn't stop that faint nibbling of jealousy from creeping into his gut against his will.

That night went too quickly. Taka was still exhausted from their adventure a few nights earlier, though Mufasa didn't even seem to remember it; he had bounced back into his old self, while the dark brown cub was still trying to force his eyes to stay open.

It was as though just as he finally managed to fall asleep, light was streaming through the cave entrance and it was time to wake up.

He sighed and lifted his head drowsily to let out a wide yawn, his small, pearly-white fangs glistening in the morning light. When he looked over, Mufasa was already gone and his mother was grooming her shoulder, head turned away from him.

Then realisation hit him. He was supposed to meet his father at dawn! Judging by the harshness of the light, it was well past sun-up. He scrambled to his paws and raced out of the den, careful not to trip and fall over the edge as he bolted up the winding path that led to the very top of Pride Rock. As he peaked over the top, ears flattened against his head, he saw Mufasa and their dad. Mufasa was listening intently to his father, but also staring out into the savannah as he was explained everything that would eventually be his and the way of the world. The sunlight made his pelt gleam, and there was a faint glimmer of pride in their father's eyes.

Swallowing, Taka worked up the courage to make himself seen and padded lightly over to them. "Hi," he greeted softly, standing next to his brother and looking expectantly up at his dad. "Sorry I'm late. What did I miss?"

Their father looked down at him, expression stony all for the faint sneer that was just evident on his face. "Kings are not late for things," He replied icily, eyes gluing him to the spot. Taka resisted the urge to flatten himself to the ground and turn tail and flee, "Your brother knows that. You should too," He finally turned his head away from the cubs to stare into the yellow sarangheti. "The word 'Taka' means dirt in Swahili. Don't sink as low as to actually become one with the meaning of your name,"

Taka flinched but said nothing.

Mufasa went from looking unimpressed with his brother to seeming enraged with his father. "Don't talk to him like that, dad," He defended, taking a bold step forward, "It's not his fault. I forgot to wake him up. I took him out that night so he was tired. Blame me, not him. He was just following me. He doesn't know any better,"

That last sentence stung Taka. Was he just a follower with no mind of his own?

"A true king fights his own battles, Mufasa. He doesn't need his big brother to defend him," He looked straight past Mufasa to glance at Taka pointedly, eyes narrowed.

Mufasa looked ready to protest, but was silenced with a look. "Yes, father," He turned to look at Taka, who echoed him.

"Good. Now, Taka, make yourself useful and go with your mother and the lionesses on their hunting expedition. You might actually learn something." With a sigh, Taka dipped his head and padded away obediently. Just as he was about to disappear behind the rocks, he heard his father call, "And try not to get trampled!"

"Why does he hate me so much?" Taka slunk quickly after his mother as she strode through the long grass, at the head of a hunting party consisting of five cats. Her eyes were slits against the blinding sun, and she used her sense of smell and hearing to find the herds. He raised his head every so often to watch her, and tried to copy her.

She shook her head. "He doesn't hate you, baby. He's your father. He loves you just as much as he loves Mufasa. Sometimes he's just a bit… gruff," She shrugged, muscles rippling under her fur.

He didn't respond. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks and lashed out a paw to stop him. Then she silently lowered herself into a crouch, and the other lionesses did the same. A few flicks of her tail later, the rest of the lionesses were positioned around the grazing, unsuspecting herd of zebras. He just watched in awe at the way they communicated without words.

"Go wait by those rocks over there. It'll be safe there and I'll come get you once the hunt is over," She hissed, head lowered so her chin was touching the earth, "Hey, you can even have the first bite,"

He nodded but remained where he was.

"Now, Taka!"

He turned and hurried over to the rocks, careful not to make too much noise so as to alert the prey. Once he had clawed his way up onto the rock pile, he sat on the smooth stone, tail wrapped neatly around his paws. He squinted at his pride in the distance, slowly creeping up on the herd. Finally, when they were close enough, a deafening roar from his mother signalled the beginning of the chase. The zebras yelped frantically and bolted in the opposite direction, and the lionesses chased after them. The ones that had been blocking the zebras' escape leapt out of their hiding, and the zebras veered and ran for their lives.

Taka watched this all, feeling admiration and excitement. He silently barracked for the lionesses, willing one of the prey animals to trip. His mother was different. Usually, she was sweet and dignified. Now she was a calculating killer that flashed past him with narrowed eyes, tail streaming out behind her. She was a hunter, and he felt pride swell up inside him. All the lionesses looked up to and listened to her. She was their queen. That was his mum. And she was awesome. He would be lucky if he ended up as great as her.

Suddenly, he was dragged over the stone by his tail, claws scraping over the rock. He let out a cry as he landed on the ground heavily, tail throbbing. The ground was hard and covered in shadows; all the rocks were positioned in a circle, leaving a small clearing in the centre. He spun around to face his attackers. They couldn't do that to him! Did they know who he was? (Probably not. Everyone in the Pridelands knew of his magnificent brother, not him.) Never the less, his parents would slice them up for doing this to him!

Then his eyes widened. In front of him were three Hyena cubs, coats wild. One had a black, spiky fringe that obscured half of its eyes. They didn't look dangerous, and their mother wasn't in sight. Maybe they had been abandoned.

His nose crinkled. But they sure did stink! "Um… Hey," He stood up and tilted his head slightly to the side, looking them up and down.

They yapped back at him, and one began rolling around on the floor, overcome by a sudden fit of ear-splitting laughter. Taka raised his eyebrows.

"Hiya, lion," One of them, the cub with the fringe, finally spoke up. She was a female with a confident aura about her. "I'm Shenzi. These are my brothers, Ed and Bunzi," She gestured to them each in turn.

His eyes widened in surprise.

Shenzi rolled her eyes. "What, ya never seen a Hyena talk before?" When he said nothing still, she laughed crazily, "Cat got your tongue?"

All three cubs let out cackles of laughter, wiping tears out of their eyes with black, clawed paws. Then Bunzi asked in a high-pitched voice, "So, tigger. You got a name? Leo, maybe?" This question was met with more violent laughter.

He blinked. "I'm… Taka. The future king of the Pridelands,"

"Ooh," The Hyenas nodded to each other knowingly, "The Pridelands. Yeah. Well, our mum says we Hyenas aren't welcome there. You lions really need to learn some manners,"

Taka looked confused. "If you aren't from the Pridelands, where are you from?"

Shenzi answered now. "We call it the Elephant Graveyard. It's at the edge of your territory. Heard of it? 'Tis pretty cool. We got full run of the place – you lions aren't the only ones with leaders, you know. Our mum's the head Hyena, and when I grow up, I'll be the next one," She raised her head proudly, "We got just a few rules, and one of them is no lions. Pretty strict about that," She peered at him, walking forwards to stick her face into his. He scrambled backwards, back pressing up against the rock. "But I've only seen a few lions before. Mainly your stupid dad. Always charging in and blaming us for stealing food. Never seen a cub, though. I thought you were supposed to have more…" She paused, searching for the right word, "Fur around the neck,"

"A… mane?"

"That's it!"

"I'll have one when I'm older," he growled, a little offended.

"Hey," She raised a paw in submission, "We don't judge,"

Ed and Bunzi had begun quarrelling over a broken bone, almost completely stripped of all meat, behind Shenzi. They growled and barked at each other, and Bunzi leapt onto Ed. They began fighting – more of a real one than any play fighting Taka had ever seen. He cringed as Ed sunk his teeth into Bunzi's back leg, making him yelp out in pain.

Shenzi rounded on them and drew her lips back in a threatening snarl. Though she was the same size as them, if not a little scrawnier, she was obviously more dominant and they quickly broke up the fight, slinking to opposite sides of the clearing, leaving the bone in the middle. Taka watched, astonished. If he tried that on the lion cubs, they would just laugh at him and he would be scolded by his parents.

The female trotted over and scooped up the bone in her jaws, crunching on it as she crouched down, laying one paw over it protectively. Slowly, her siblings walked over and lay down to chew on it as well. They lay there and enjoyed it, sides pressed together and pelts messy and filled with grit.

He observed their behaviour for a while, and he found himself drawn towards them. The trio looked up as he approached, angling their heads to the side in unison. Shenzi announced, voice muffled around the thick bone, "I like you, lion boy." She let it drop to the floor and the others once again began a game of tug-of-war over who got it. Then she looked around as though saying something totally forbidden, "You should come check out the Elephant Graveyard sometime,"

"I thought lions weren't allowed there,"

"They aren't," A small, devious smile spread across her face, "But rules were made to be broken, huh, guys?" She looked from one brother to the next, and they both raised their heads to nod before going back to their 'war'.

Taka shrugged, lowering his head. "I don't want to get in trouble with my pride,"

"Ya what?"

"My pride. My… Family, my gang, you know?"

Shenzi paused, thinking about the new word to add to her vocabulary, then nodded vigorously. "Gotcha. Well, you got to learn to live on the wild side of life, or it'll be boring. C'mon. Just this once," She yawned, "So, Taka, buddy. What do ya say? Wanna be crazy and come hang with us? You won't regret it."

The way she was talking reminded him of the way Mufasa had persuaded him to go out into the savannah at night. The thought made him mad. He would show them he wasn't just a little baby anymore! He could make his own decisions. He wasn't just a follower. "Fine. I'm in. When should I meet you?"

All three of them grinned. Bunzi took over now, brushing past his sister who snapped affectionately at his ankles. "How about… tomorrow at midday?"

He looked confused. "What? I thought that all the Hyenas would be most active in the middle of the day,"

Bunzi shook his head with a chuckle. "Oh, you have so much to learn. No. Midday is when our mum goes to scavenge for food. At dawn and dusk and even at night, they're still wide awake."

Taka nodded in understanding.

"Great. So, meet us at the Elephant Graveyard – you can't miss it. Huge, dark, shadowy place. This is gonna be fun!" The three Hyenas each let out loud cackles of psychotic laughter, then all immediately fell silent, eyes wide.

Shenzi snapped, "You have to get out of here or you'll be dead meat. Our mum's comin' back. Quick!"

Turning, Taka tried to leap up onto the rock, but it was too high, and he just slid back down. He scrabbled at it helplessly, snarling in frustration and fear. Just as he was about to give up and accept his fate, the stink of adult Hyena washing over him and filling his nostrils, he felt something soft and warm pushing upwards until he was standing on top of the rock. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the cubs standing at the base, staring up at him with their tongues lolling out the side of their mouths. He mouthed thank you to them before jumping off the rock and running for a tuft of long grass just as a huge, female Hyena erupted from the grass on the opposite side of the clearing.

He drew in a sharp breath and cowered close to the ground as she sniffed the air and let out a deep growl. Then she twitched her ears and disappeared behind the rocks. Just as he was about to leave to find his mother, she reappeared, carrying Ed in her jaws while Shenzi and Bunzi bounced along behind her. They either didn't see him or ignored him, as they just continued to chatter to their mother, who said nothing but smiled down at them lovingly.

As he peered out from behind his cover, he saw her leading them to a fresh zebra carcass that had already begun to attract flies. Crouched over it were the lionesses, with his mother at its head, wide jaws clasped tightly around its neck. It struggled weakly before finally falling still. They all let out triumphant roars, which turned to aggressive growls and spits as they spotted the Hyenas sneaking up behind them.

A few chased them away, and the scavengers cackled, only to slink back as the lionesses turned their backs on them. This went on, until the Hyenas eventually stayed at a safe distance, eyes never leaving the kill.

He bounced over to them, stumbling only once on the uneven ground, careful to keep a wide girth between himself and the Hyenas, though they seemed too fixed on the older lions to even notice him. Taka squeezed between the legs of the lionesses to stand in front of his mother, whose muzzle was covered in fresh blood. She swiped her tongue around it in an attempt to clean it, but it made little to no difference. She seemed to savour the taste.

"I promised you first bite," She ushered him forward with a smile.

He looked up at her uncertainly, then was encouraged by a few purrs from the other cats and he sunk his teeth into the zebra's black and white shoulder, which was covered in scratches. He found a grip and ripped, leaving deep gouges in the earth from the effort. But, after a few more seconds, he was standing proudly with a large piece of delicious-smelling meat dangling from his mouth. He ate most of it, and the others finished it off.

Then, together, they dragged it back to Pride rock, leaving nothing for the Hyenas.