Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry 10 sorrys! (sorrys, sorry's, sorries? idk) The hurricane set me back! Oh, who am I kidding, that's a lie, I just didn't have any time! So, here's your well-deserved chapter. Well, only if you deserve it. For being good. Be good!

Chapter 6

Secrets

Maisha was furious. How dare he?! She thought they were in love. But apparently he didn't. She ran down the rock slope towards Upendo, but before he spotted her, she hid behind a boulder and went over what she had seen to make sure her confrontation would be valid:

First, she had been coming outside to ask Upendo if he wanted to hang out the next day. She hadn't seen him immediately, so she scanned the horizon. There! He had been under a tree near the watering hole. She had started to trot over to him, but she stopped when another shape flopped down beside him. It was a lioness. What was going on? Soon she saw the lioness leaning into Upendo and he hadn't done anything to stop it. She didn't stay after seeing that, she had just run in the other direction with tears in her eyes. When she got back to her den, she was comforted by her parents, who didn't ask a thing about what happened, and that was okay because she really didn't want to.

Yes, she was sure about what she was doing.

"Upendo!" Maisha roared across the short distance separating the two of them as well as jumping from her hiding place. "What do you think you're doing?!"

The lioness at Upendo's side flinched and hid behind him, but Upendo didn't move a muscle.

"What do you mean?" He twitched his whiskers in a way that Maisha couldn't understand. She ignored it and stalked up to him, legs stiff and her teeth bared.

"What do I mean? What do I mean?!" She snarled into his face. "I think you know very well what I mean!" She stopped and turned her head to look at the lioness. "I mean you and her!" Her eyes blazed with this terrible anger of betrayal.

"Maisha, nothing's going on," Upendo said, then cocked his head and continued just as Maisha was about to roar again. "I thought you of all people would understand that." Now he was putting on his hurt act and she had to rethink her accusation. Well, Upendo is a nice guy and he probably wouldn't want to hurt her...But if he's so nice why were they cuddling under the tree at sunset?! Maisha thought angrily. She was pretty sure she had this right.

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"At least let Kuibiwa go! She doesn't have to hear this nonsense," Upendo roared at Maisha.

"This is not nonsense! I saw what you two were doing together! And I want her to hear what you and her did to me," Maisha snapped back.

"We didn't do anything! I already told you, she had come from a long way away, she was tired and she needed a shoulder to cry on! It was nothing more than a friend helping a friend!" Upendo tried to reason even though he was growling and snapping as well.

"Even if that was true, you'd wish it was more!" Maisha unsheathed her claws and arched her back, her tail lashing side to side behind her. Upendo would pay for this, and he'd better be ready to fight his best, because she wasn't going to go easy. But, he didn't move into the same attack position. Instead he took a step forward, and she tensed, waiting for a surprise attack. Seeing this, he stopped and turned away, with a hurt look in his eyes. Dammit, he knows me too well, Maisha thought, I would never attack without a fair fight. He had started to walk away in the direction of her den, Kuibiwa at his side. As he was walking, he spoke.

"I never knew you as the jealous type, Maisha. And maybe there's even more things you didn't tell me...like secrets. I've told you all of mine... Why would you keep something from me, ever? I know you have secrets, Maisha. I see them every time I look into your eyes. Maybe we aren't meant for each other." Then he disappeared around the corner and Maisha looked after him, stunned. Then she started to cry loud sobs that flowed even stronger than the drizzle that was starting to come down.

"You're the one with secrets! I told you everything, everything! You're lying! I don't have any secrets! You're lying!" But even as she said the words, tears and rain streaking down her face, she knew she was the one lying.

He was right. She had secrets.

Secrets that she didn't want anyone to ever know.

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Note:

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