Lioness Tales

Tale 1: Njano's Secret

Chapter 11: Closest of Friends

Once Imara and Kanai reached the age in which their lessons would start, Erevu and Nura took them for a long walk one evening, to explain to them what their role in the Pride was, and what was expected from them, as future leaders. They didn't address the betrothal yet; they would wait until both of them were older before addressing this subject.

Nura, with Adla's assistance, would concentrate on teaching Kanai, and Erevu would start taking Imara on patrol. He was still a bit young, but Erevu himself had enjoyed those walks with his father, and was now looking forward to teach his own son.

Njano had felt a bit left out in the beginning, but she learned soon after that her hunting training would start as well. Njano had already learned from Duni how to locate and catch rodents successfully, but it was now time for the young lioness to focus on hunting bigger game, although the Pride members were not too excited about having to teach her.

Njano was still very easily distracted, and she much preferred to run off and explore than having to sit through a boring theory lesson.

One rainy morning, Njano was pleasantly surprised to see that Kanai would also be joining the hunting training as of now. She was sure that it would make the lessons a lot more fun.

Kanai herself seemed to be quite interested in learning. She paid attention, and would ask relevant questions. Damisi, who was teaching them that particular morning, could clearly tell that Kanai was really making an effort, while Njano simply joked around, or nodded quietly pretending to listen, looking a bit sleepy, and never had anything to ask at the end of a lesson.

The lessons carried on like that for several days, and the teachers started to lose their patience, since Njano, in her boredom, kept distracting Kanai too.

Threatening Njano with bringing Chiku in to teach her wouldn't work this time. Chiku was actually a very good teacher, but she had absolutely no patience towards Njano, and the lioness had simply refused to give her any lessons.

"I give up," Faiza told Njano one day, after what seemed like the hundredth interruption to her lesson, "I don't care any more if you don't want to pay attention; it will all show when you make a fool of yourself at your hunting test. I don't want you around during my lessons anymore, distracting Kanai, who genuinely wants to learn this stuff."

Njano blinked for a moment, actually looking thrilled. "So I can just go now? For real?"

"Get out of my sight, now!" Faiza snarled.

"All right!" Njano exclaimed, "Sucks to be you, Kanai! See you later, okay?"

Kanai watched her friend run away before Faiza could say anything else, and she couldn't help but laugh. "I can't believe her, she really left!"

"It's not funny, Kanai. It's precisely that sort of attitude that's making her more and more unpopular with the Pride."

"Njano says she's always been unpopular anyway. She says nobody wanted her to be born at all. Would you know if that's true, Faiza?"

Faiza frowned for a moment. "What? No! I mean, Njano was born in the middle of a horrible drought. We all just thought it was extremely bad timing, that's all... Where did she get that idea from?"

Kanai looked at Faiza and whispered, "The thing is, she actually overheard someone, don't know who, saying really nasty things about her mother and about herself."

Faiza let out a deep sigh. "I am sure whoever said that didn't mean it. We all say nasty things sometimes when we're mad, and, being totally honest here, Njano does tend to rub everyone the wrong way often, one way or another."

"So you didn't mean what you said, then? Can she come to the lesson tomorrow?"

Faiza admitted defeat, and nodded with a smile. "Of course she can. Whether she'll want to, we'll have to see. She seemed too happy to be expelled, if you ask me."

Kanai laughed again, nuzzling Faiza gently. "She's just a bit crazy like that. I'll talk to her and see what I can do, okay?"

Faiza nodded. "Okay. Anyway, let's carry on where we left off..."

While Kanai had managed to persuade Njano to try and sit through the lessons and not interrupt, Njano would often get lost in her daydreams and lose track of what was being said.

One afternoon, the two young lionesses were making their way to the lake for a drink, after a rather long and boring lesson on stalking, involving trying to sneak up one of the Pride members time and time again, without being seen or heard. Kanai had been able to surprise a couple of lionesses, but Njano's stalking skills were still far from perfect.

As they reached the lake, Njano stretched herself, not looking worried or bothered about her failed attempts at stalking and the teacher's reprimands. On the contrary, she simply looked very relieved that the lesson was over, and she could finally relax, without others interrupting her fantasies.

"Say... What exactly are you thinking about anyway, when you space out like that all the time during class?" Kanai asked her, looking amused.

"I dunno... Sometimes I like to pretend I'm the alpha, and I command a huge Pride of strong lionesses that strike fear wherever they go... Sometimes I try to imagine what it would be like to be like mom. I then just concentrate on smells and sounds and try to block all visuals... I also think of what else is there beyond the borders of our territory. I mean, wouldn't you like to meet a rogue one day, and hear stories about where he's been and what he's seen?"

Kanai nodded as she sat next to Njano. They both bent over to drink; for a moment there was no other sound but the lapping of their tongues against the water.

When Kanai was finished, she let out a deep sigh. "I wish I could just block everything out like you do sometimes. They keep telling me about how much responsibility is on my shoulders, how I have to learn this, and then learn that... It's like I can't afford to get distracted, you know what I mean?"

Njano nodded. "Yeah... Makes sense, you being the future leader and all. But mom insists I should make a better effort too. Just because I am nowhere close to the top of the rank, doesn't mean that I shouldn't care about my learning. She insists that I learn to hunt together with the Pride, but what's the point? Safi says we'll be leaving soon anyway, to form our own Pride, once mom is sure that I won't run off and kill myself in a freak accident."

Kanai laughed. "You're not a tiny cub anymore, you know. I'm quite sure you can take care of yourself better now."

"Mom doesn't think so yet, especially after the rhino incident..."

"Oh, yeah... Only you could have come up with the idea of playing a prank on the rhinos, honestly," Kanai said, shaking her head with a smile, "Good thing Adla was there to calm them down, huh?"

Njano smiled and nodded. "Yup... I still get mean stares from the rhinos, by the way," she replied, lying on her belly, looking content.

Kanai looked at her for a moment. "I know it sounds weird but... Sometimes I wish we could trade places, kinda."

Njano looked up. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, then you can be the alpha and lead a Pride of lions, just like you wish, and I can just goof around and relax, think about pranks and laugh when getting kicked out of lessons... Not caring much about stuff and all sounds like a lot more fun."

Njano looked away and rested her head on her paws. "Hmm, so that's what Erevu meant, when he said I was setting a bad example for you."

Kanai frowned slightly and looked away, embarrassed. "Oh, was he going on about that again?"

Njano shrugged. "They all go on about that, now that I think about it, even mom. They sorta wish I'd follow you instead of you following me."

Kanai lay down beside Njano thoughtfully. "I wish they'd stop doing that. It makes me feel very uncomfortable every time they tell you to be more like myself."

"Don't be, you know I can deal with it. Besides, I know it's only a matter of time before we go. Then your Pride will finally get some rest, and who knows, maybe we'll meet some other lionesses along the way who might have more in common with me."

Kanai couldn't stifle a chuckle as she thought about living in a Pride full of scatterbrained lionesses like Njano, as opposed to her strict and discipline-oriented group.

"Anyway," Njano said as she stood up and shook herself, "I promised mom we'd go critter-hunting together today, so I'd better get going before she gets worried and starts wondering where I am."

"All right, I'll see you around. Have fun!"

Njano head-butted Kanai gently, giving her a small lick in the process. She then walked away, humming to herself.

Kanai watched her leave, envying her slightly for being able to live so carefree. The fact that Njano was not bothered by how coldly the Pride treated her sometimes made Kanai think that she was a lot stronger than the Pride gave her credit for. She could take a lot and just keep on going as if nothing happened.

The lioness rubbed with a paw the spot where Njano had licked her and took in her scent. She closed her eyes for a moment, but then shook her head, as if shaking herself off from a daydream. You ain't making any sense, she thought as she walked back to the lair on her own, her heart beating faster, for a reason she could not describe.

The day when Njano and Kanai would take their hunting test had finally arrived.

Knowing that the huntresses would be occupied while grading the two students, Duni and Safi decided to go on a little hunting session of their own. They were sure the tired lionesses and their teachers would appreciate a snack once they returned.

As they sniffed the ground, looking for gophers, Safi thought it would be a good time to address their future, once again.

"By the way, have you given it more thought about going away soon?"

"I was afraid you'd ask," Duni replied, smiling slightly. "I guess a lot depends on whether Njano passes the test or not. If she flunks, she'll still need the guidance from the other lionesses to improve."

Safi frowned. "Do you really think so? I mean, you and I are getting by on small prey and the occasional antelope that I bring down. I am sure we could teach Njano as well. You know all the theory by heart, and I could show her how to apply it out there in the grasslands..."

Duni stopped sniffing for a moment and turned her head towards Safi's direction. "Just wondering... Why are you so keen on leaving, anyway? I mean, in the past you used to hate the thought of having to go. I remember how sad you were when Adla broke the news to you."

Safi walked to her and sat down. "It's Erevu. He hasn't forgotten that fight we had, and just by the way he looks at me, I have the feeling he'll challenge me soon."

Duni looked worried after hearing this. She had no idea how much Erevu had grown in the meantime, as she had practically had no physical contact with him at all since her last season. "Is he very strong?"

"He's stronger than he was back then, that's for sure, but that's not what worries me. When we leave, I want to do it in good terms. A fight, regardless of the outcome, is just going to make things a lot worse between us than they already are. And if I happen to win, his authority with the lionesses might decrease. As angry as I was back then, I don't feel like humiliating him now in front of his Pride."

"Yeah, they do believe he's doing a good job now after all. I heard that Etana and Faiza are expecting cubs, and the others were looking into the possibility as well. The Pride's thriving under his leadership, all right..."

Safi looked at her. "How about you? Njano's not nursing anymore, which means you'll be coming into season again sometime soon."

Duni shook her head. "I know, but I don't want to think about it, not until we leave and have gathered a group of lionesses willing to help me raise a new cub. I think the Eyasi Pride would tear me to pieces if I end up pregnant again, don't you agree?"

Safi laughed and nuzzled her gently. "If the new cub turns out as naughty as Njano, could you blame them?"

Duni chuckled and focused on sniffing the ground again. "She's really sweet once you get to know her. So she can't focus for long, so what? That doesn't make her less of a lioness. I wish the rest could feel that way too. I deeply regret all those days in which I wished she was different. Nowadays, I wouldn't change Njano for the world. She's very loyal, and I am sure the Pride could put that to good use if they wanted to..."

"I take it your relationship with her is getting better?"

Duni nodded, smiling proudly. "We still disagree and bicker sometimes, but she's not as inconsiderate as when she was a cub. If she's going somewhere, she'll actually let me know, and the other day she even invited me to go with her for a walk, for no reason. She even kept an eye on obstacles on the way and such. I had the feeling something was bothering her, but she wouldn't say. When I asked her what was wrong, she simply said, I just overheard some horrible things today, but I knew a walk with my mom would take my mind off it all."

Safi looked intrigued. "Any idea what she might have heard?"

Duni shook her head. "I didn't force her to tell me, all I know is that she was very distressed and she actually went to me for comfort. I can't tell you just how happy that made me."

Safi let out a deep sigh. "Okay... We'll wait a bit longer then, but I just wanted to warn you that we might need to leave hastily sometime soon, whether you feel Njano's ready or not."

"I understand," Duni replied, and concentrated on hunting again.

Safi also remained quiet after that, and between the both of them they managed to hunt enough critters to surprise the teachers and the students when they returned.

It was already dark by the time Njano and Kanai returned from their hunting test.

"Kanai has passed the test with excellent marks, but Njano is not ready for her First Hunt yet. She needs more patience while hiding, and she needs to be more quiet while stalking too, and moreover, she should not run off in the middle of an exam," Damisi announced, much to Duni's disappointment.

"What happened?" Duni asked Njano, once the rest of the lionesses gratefully started digging in on the gophers she caught earlier.

"I was supposed to pin down a zebra, but there was this other scent in the air, I couldn't identify it, so I went to check it out."

Duni groaned slightly. "Couldn't you have waited with your explorations at least until the test was over?"

"It was just too intriguing to let it pass, mom! I figured I could just check it out quickly and come back to the zebra later, but some leopards were also hunting in the area, and they scared the herd away before I came back."

Duni sighed and shook her head slightly. "So what was that smell you followed?"

"Oh, it was awesome, you won't believe it!" Njano replied, sounding quite excited, "Check this out: I actually witnessed an elephant giving birth. It's the grossest, but also the cutest thing I've seen in my life. Now, I can go and hunt zebra anytime I want, right? But how often do you get to see a baby elephant being born? I tell you, it was adorable. And that baby is already bigger than myself, can you imagine?"

Duni stared in Njano's direction thoughtfully. "Wasn't the mother angry to see you there?"

"Oh, she didn't see me. She was being very protective and she'd have trampled me for sure. No, I just hid and watched it all from a safe distance."

Duni gave her a warm smile. "Let me get this straight... So you stayed put, quietly hiding and stalking, all throughout the time it took her to give birth? And she never noticed your presence?"

Njano blinked a couple of times. "Now that you put it that way, I guess I did... Hey, I don't suck at all those things after all!"

Duni smiled to herself and shook her head. "No, you don't suck. I guess we just work differently, you and I... I believe that the moment you feel real hunger, you'll do great at bringing a zebra down for real."

Njano smiled and nuzzled Duni. "Sorry about today, mom. I'll try and do better next time..."

"Yeah, better luck next time, sweetie."

"Hey, Njano," Kanai called her, standing not far away, "Wanna go unwind by the lake?"

"Sure!" Njano replied, and then turned to Duni, "Is that okay?"

Duni nodded. "Go ahead, and stay out of trouble, please."

Njano and Kanai ran off together, chasing each other and playfully trying to make each other trip.

Erevu watched them go, wondering when those two would start acting their age. He didn't take his eyes off them for quite a while, looking thoughtful. He simply shook his head after a while, and went to look for Imara instead.

Njano followed Kanai, but stopped when she realized the lioness was taking another route. "Hey, I thought we were going to the lake?"

Kanai shook her head. "I found another cool place to hang out instead, I'll show you. I just didn't want the others to know, I want it to be our secret hideout!"

Njano liked the sound of that, and followed Kanai with enthusiasm.

Kanai led her to a tree with thick branches that looked sturdy enough to support a big cat's weight.

"Are you sure this hasn't been claimed by a leopard already?" Njano said, sniffing around.

"I couldn't find any marks, not up there either."

Njano looked up. She wasn't a very good climber, however, there was a rock next to the tree that they could use to reach the lowest branches.

Kanai was the first one to climb up, by getting on top of the rock, and then jumping on to the trunk. She hung there for a moment, and used her claws to climb up to one of the branches.

"I take it you've done that before, huh?" Njano yelled, and tried to replicate Kanai's moves. It took her a couple of tries, but she made it up the tree eventually.

"Whoo! That was fun... And what a cool view!"

Kanai smiled. "I knew you'd like it here. I was thinking about what you said the other day, you know? About how awesome it would be to have wings and fly like the birds? Well, this ain't flying, but I'm sure you can pretend you are..."

Njano didn't say anything, she simply smiled as she stared into the landscape, looking at the distant herds. She made herself comfortable on her branch by resting her tummy on it while letting her legs hang. Both lionesses fell asleep not long after, as the fatigue from their strenuous test finally caught up with them.

The lionesses kept visiting the tree often after that day. If they found it taken by some other animal already, they would just settle down under its shade. They would then talk for hours, but sometimes they would just simply sit there in silence, resting and enjoying each other's company.

Both Kanai and Njano were now old enough to know the importance of grooming, so they now added extensive grooming sessions to those long talks by the tree.

The whole Pride could tell that they were very close, and they could only feel bad for them, thinking about the moment when Safi and Duni would leave the Pride. They imagined that parting ways would be painful for the two friends.

The young lionesses didn't like to think about that too much. When the time to leave would come, then they'd worry about it, for now they preferred to live one day at a time.

When Njano had the chance to take another hunting test, she did so poorly that Chiku called the test off right in the middle of her hunting attempt.

"Just what exactly is going through that thick head of yours? A meerkat would have a better chance of bringing down that gazelle than you at this point! I haven't seen such a lousy hunter in my life!" Chiku said as she stormed away, followed by the other lionesses who had been supervising her hunting attempts.

Back at the lair, as the lionesses filled Duni and the rest of the Pride in on how badly Njano had performed, Kanai walked to Njano and whispered, "Wow, did it really go as bad as they're saying?"

"Yup, probably even worse. Oh well. I guess I'm not ready just yet... Need more training and stuff."

Kanai blinked for a moment. She knew Njano well, and she could tell the lioness was acting a bit too nonchalant, for having messed up so badly.

Njano looked at her and couldn't hide a smile lighting up her features. "I think we'll need to stay just a bit longer."

Kanai's eyes widened in surprise. It almost looked as if her friend botched her own exam on purpose, just to fool Duni into thinking they could not leave the Eyasi Pride yet.

"Wanna go to our tree and talk about it?" Kanai whispered, feeling extremely curious as to what motivated Njano to do this.

Njano shook her head. "I sense a motherly lecture coming up. So I'll just stick around here for now..."

Kanai was about to reply, but Nura approached them right at that moment.

"Sorry to hear about your exam, Njano. Better luck next time!" she said sincerely. Then she turned to Kanai and whispered, "Hi, dear, would you go for a walk with me?"

Kanai looked at her. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"

Nura laughed. "No, not at all. It's just that there's one lesson we haven't talked about yet, but Erevu thinks that now it's a good time to address it."

"Oh... Okay, sure. Let's go then," Kanai replied, and as she walked away with Nura, she glanced over her shoulder, only to see Njano staring intently back at her, with a satisfied expression on her face.