Back at the ridge the hyenas Nala saw earlier were sleeping. She counted them anxiously, trying to remember how many there were before she left, but because she was in such a hurry to find her mother she never bothered to count them in the first place, leaving her with only crude guesses.

"I'm sorry Wezi, I couldn't get my mom to come."

Wezi shrank a bit. "That's okay, as long as she talks to my mom," she said, clearly disappointed. Her tears had dried now but her expression showed obvious signs of stress.

Nala felt like she might throw up. "Did you mention anything to Nyonda?" she asked quietly.

"Bombu told her everything. Is something the matter?"

She didn't know what to say. How could she admit to putting Wezi in danger? "Nothing. It's just… I don't think we should talk about this anymore. In front of others, I mean."

To her surprise Wezi nodded in agreement. "Oh yes, I made Nyonda promise to keep this between the four of us. I don't want the attention. The lionesses talk about Laini and Huzuni behind their backs all the time and I think it's awful."

That almost made Nala smile. Thank goodness for that. Now if only Bombu could keep her mouth shut they might be okay... unless Pemba talked. And just like that Nala's guilt rose up again.

"Nala…?"

Nala looked up with a jerk. She felt a bit dazed. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just tired. How are you holding up?" If she could focus on something else maybe she could push these black thoughts from her mind before they consumed her. Wezi, too, seemed eager to move onto a more pleasant subject. Neither of them liked to be seen looking upset.

Before long Mea woke up with a big yawn. Nala resented her for being oblivious to the drama unfolding around her, just as she resented herself for her former ignorance. She wished she could tell Bombu and Wezi the truth so they could protect themselves but she was too afraid of what might happen if the hyenas overheard her. She wondered if Nyonda and Uru knew as much as her mother and reasoned that, because of her life experiences, Uru must have an even better understanding of what was going on in the Pridelands than her mother. The old lioness smiled playfully at Mea and said, "Resting for the Night of Tales?"

During the excitement Nala completely forgot about the Night of Tales. They took place on the first full moon of each month, when the stars shined brightest. On these nights Nana Uru gathered the entire pride at the foot of Pride Rock to listen to a tale from the past. She usually looked forward to the Night of Tales.

Soon it was time to leave. Uru led her away from the ridge toward a small cave in Pride Rock where she enjoyed resting on hot days, where they would wait for Sarafina to finish her hunt. Nala could not stop thinking about everything she observed today. "Nana? Are the hyenas… bad?"

She tried to phrase the question covertly so Uru wouldn't realize what she was thinking. She was too afraid to say it out loud. The old lioness was silent for a long time. Her thoughts were never hurried. At last she said, "No. All creatures have their place in the Circle of Life."

"Mom says they can't be trusted."

Uru gave a slight nod. "They have every reason to hate us, our old enemies, but that does not make them evil." She looked at Nala pointedly. "Do you think the antelope call us monsters?"

That question never occurred to her before. From Uru's tales about the Great Kings of the Past she knew that all the animals in Africa from antelopes to zebras could speak and were (to some degree) intelligent, but she never considered their feelings before. "I guess so… but don't we help them, too?"

"Yes, without us there would be too many plant eaters and not enough plants for them to eat." Nana Uru smiled proudly. "You've been paying attention to my stories. Do you know why the hyenas are important? They're able to eat parts of a carcass we cannot, even bones and rotten flesh. Without death eaters disease would be everywhere. Their job is much more important than many Pridelanders realize. Scar was one of the first to see it."

This was the first time Nala ever heard someone speak positively about the hyenas. Coming from someone as old and wise as Nana Uru this was an enormous shock, but what she said made sense. Sort of. "Then why did they attack Laini?"

"You don't understand how much we have hurt them," Uru said somberly. "That's why tonight's story is so important."

Nala tried to convince Uru to say more about tonight's story, but she only told her to be patient, for she did not like repeating herself unnecessarily. When the huntress's call rang out over the Pridelands it was nearly sunset. Nala, Uru, and the rest of the pride joined together at the kill. King Scar ripped off one of the animal's legs to bring to Sarabi before the cubs were allowed to eat. Having eaten an enormous meal early in the morning, Nala declined the meat so her friends could have more. She expected her mother to take her aside to talk about what happened earlier today, but Sarafina was too tired. After the stars came out the pride gathered around Uru for the Night of Tales.

"The Night of Tales has come again! The Great Kings of the Past look down on us tonight as we honor their memory. May they guide us through our daily trials with wisdom and serenity."

All the lions roared, the hyenas cackled and whooped, and the birds tweeted ecstatically. Everyone in the pride gathered at the base of Pride Rock, except Sarabi, keeping Kivuli warm in her den, and of course Huzuni. Other animals showed up, too: Ambaza, the quickest gazelle, and Kigugu, the wiliest zebra, came to pay respects to the queens and huntresses who valiantly tried and failed to catch them. Duma the cheetah came with her three fuzzy cubs and her mate, Baridi. In the past only a few hyenas attended the Night of Tales, but tonight almost the entire clan was in attendance, save those on patrol. Uru sat on a boulder and at its base Scar and his nieces, Binti and Chibi, looked up to her. The three captains, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, sat beside to the king along with Zazu. Rafiki reclined in the branches of a nearby acacia. Next to Nala and Sarafina, Nyonda sat with her cubs. Roho, as always, put Nala between himself and Ruka, who always got bored during Uru's stories and found ways to annoy him. To their left sat Chumvi's mother, an older, darkly colored lioness called Halali, and his sister Moto. The pale, childless Nana Laini with the torn ear and sad expression sat next to her sister, Cheka, and her cubs Kula and Amiri. Eupe and Wezi sat next to Buibui on the opposite side of the circle from Nala. While the two adults cast her nasty looks, only Wezi looked to Nala with sympathy. Combined with Pamba, her daughters Neema and Zuia; Duzi, Zito, and Shaba, there were twenty-seven lions present, thirty in total counting Huzuni and Kivuli. Nala knew all of them.

"Tonight's tale is a recent one. Many of you still remember when it happened, but few know the whole story. This is also a story I know many of you do not want to hear, would rather it be forgotten. Shame on you who would bury the past! We should not turn our backs on the past but look to it with open hearts and minds that we might improve our present and better our future! With the blessing of King Scar, tonight we hear the tragedy of Mufasa and the Sootfoot Clan."

Tension migrated through the crowd. Even Kigugu stomped his hoof. Uru carried on, undeterred.

"Long ago, during the reign of King Mohatu, a nomadic hyena clan came to the Pridelands. They asked Mohatu for sanctuary, for they were tired of wandering and longed for a paradise to rest their paws. Kind King Mohatu granted their wish on one condition: the Sootfoot clan's solemn vow to never harm a lion on Mohatu's land. So for nearly three generations, the Sootfoot clan and the Pridelanders lived together in relative peace. Mufasa became king and Prince Taka his advisor and ambassador to the Sootfoot clan.

"Of course, natural rivals can never co-exist in complete harmony. The Sootfoot clan raided our kills whenever they could, though they kept Mohatu's pact. While Mufasa viewed them with contempt Taka learned their ways and grew to respect them and their place in the Circle of Life. Our tale begins on a mild afternoon during the wet season. Queen Sarabi's hunting party had just brought down a water buffalo and the cubs were arriving to eat. Distracted by the smell of fresh meat, none of the lionesses realized that one cub was missing…"

…

Laini found the body first. The body was not a body; the body was missing, but somehow it helped to call it a body, to imagine that the cub was somehow whole. She stared disbelievingly at 'the body'. Then she let out a roar, half a sob. Little Amadi was dead.

No one knew who to blame for Amadi's death at first. Some blamed the nanas for failing to do a head count when they gathered the cubs. Amadi seemed to have wandered off before he died, for he was found far from where Binti, Chibi, and the others last saw him. Others focused on the smell of the Sootfoot clan where the body was found. Amadi's mother was too devastated to draw any conclusions. She curled up around her boy as if to comfort him and remained by his side even after the other lionesses had left. Sarabi finally convinced her to come back to Pride Rock. She tried to carry Amadi's remains home, but he fell apart in her mouth and she was forced to leave him with a choked whimper and tears rolling down her cheeks.

When dawn came Amadi's mother was missing from the communal den. Mufasa and Sarabi found her lying on the cliff of Pride Rock gazing at the sunrise, her whiskers and chin speckled with dry hyena blood, pale blue eyes as cold as death. "I had no choice," was all she said.

Less than an hour after dawn Mama Ifuifu, Matriarch of the Sootfoot clan, traveled to the foot of Pride Rock with her two bodyguards, where she demanded to speak to King Mufasa. Mufasa and his tactful advisor, Taka, saw her in the royal chamber beneath the throne of Pride Rock. The young King stretched out on a slab of rock that resembled a large boulder cleaved in half. His sturdy, relaxed frame looked as imposing as the enormous stone on which he lay. Beside him on the floor of the cave sat his younger brother, the Prince, whose pointy brow came almost to Mufasa's front paw. Seated to the side of them Queen Sarabi, the Old Queen Uru and her sister, Princess Johari, provided counsel. The King rose, towering above them. "Why have you come, Ifuifu?"

Mama Ifuifu stopped abruptly, one paw still in the air, her nose wrinkled. Her two bodyguards tensed. "Excuse me, have I been accused of a crime?"

"Not you – your clan. Last night Laini found one of our cubs dead, devoured by hyenas. Taka and I were just discussing what should be done."

"I did not know…" said Mama Ifuifu, raising her eyebrows. Then her expression hardened. "One of my daughters, Kuleni, was killed by a lioness early this morning, along with her entire litter of pups. A witness said she was one of your's."

Mufasa glanced at his brother, who was watching him attentively out of the corner of his eye. "I'm afraid that's true," said Taka somberly. "Of course her identity must be kept secret to prevent more vigilante justice."

"So you will see to her punishment?" Mama Ifuifu said doubtfully. Mufasa and Taka exchanged furtive glances.

Amadi's mother had already been sent to Rafiki's tree, escorted by Sarafina and Eupe. Mufasa hoped Rafiki would have some healing herbs to calm her shattered mind. The King turned to Mama Ifuifu. "No, I cannot punish a grieving mother."

"All my subjects are my sons and daughters. We do not separate our people by blood as you do. I do not know what my clan is accused of, but I do know one of your lionesses is responsible for the deaths of Kuleni and her six pups."

Mufasa's deep growl echoed through the chamber. "The mother has been punished enough! There is nothing worse I can do to her than what has been done by your clan – think about that before you open your mouth. The only one who deserves punishment is Amadi's killer."

The Matriarch scoffed. "You have no proof."

"On the contrary, your clan's scent was all over the body," Taka interjected.

"Show me."

"Mama Ifuifu, you know there's no point in showing you the body," said Mufasa, struggling to be diplomatic. "Even if there is anything left the carcass would have been picked over by countless other scavengers by now. The scent is gone."

"Then you have no proof. Now what will you do about Kuleni's killer?"

"We cannot punish Kuleni's killer because she was not sane when she committed the crime," Mufasa snarled.

Taka sighed at his brother, "Mufasa, this is pointless. Amadi's mother has taken her pound of flesh, surely that's enough."

"You still have no proof!" Mama Ifuifu growled. "My people are the eaters of the dead. We have the right to any carcass – no matter the species. Even if our scent was on the body – which I do not concede – you do not know that my people killed him. He may have already been dead. If that is the case then we have done nothing wrong. Am I right?"

"She is correct, Mufasa," Taka murmured.

"We know that Ahadi was killed by a predator. He died in terror with his eyes open. No predator would abandon a body after killing it. His body was also found far away from the place where he was last seen alive. He must have been moved in an attempt to hide his body."

"That is your proof? With respect, your Majesty, you know nothing of the dead. If Amadi was bitten by a cobra he could have wandered off in a delirium and collapsed. Cobra venom causes paralysis, which would have forced his eyes open as he died."

The royal family silently considered this. Finally, Taka spoke up. "That is possible. Perhaps we should send Zazu to scout the area and search for cobra dens."

"That would still not prove the Sootfoot clan's innocence," said Mufasa.

"But it would provide reasonable doubt."

Mufasa turned to Sarabi. "You were leading the hunt when Amadi died. What do you think?"

"The hyenas have been harassing our hunting parties. I spotted several in the area before we brought down our water buffalo. They could have snatched Amadi up in the time it took to kill our prey and gather the pride."

"So you believe the hyenas are responsible?"

Taka interrupted, "In my opinion these scenarios are both equally likely. Laini could have been mistaken when she said the body looked as though it had been hidden and we have no witnesses. Mama Ifuifu also brings up an excellent point: the law does allow hyenas to scavenge on any species, including lions, so their scent cannot be used against them. There is simply not enough evidence to punish the Sootfoot clan."

Mufasa asked the two elder lionesses for their opinions. Uru agreed with Taka while Johari agreed with Sarabi. "If the Sootfoot clan is responsible, we cannot allow them to get away with this or they will do it again."

Finally Mufasa asked Mama Ifuifu for time alone to deliberate. When Mama Ifuifu returned with her bodyguards Mufasa had come to a decision: the Sootfoot clan would not be punished for Amadi's death if Mama Ifuifu returned in three days with Amadi's killer. Their pact with Mohatu would remain intact and only the killer would be punished. Mama Ifuifu protested and Taka once again took her side, but Mufasa would not be persuaded. He sent the hyenas away.

Over the next three days Taka traveled to the Sootfoot clan, where he attempted to convince Mama Ifuifu to give Mufasa what he asked for in order to preserve the peace, but Ifuifu refused to sacrifice even a single member of her clan. Impressed with Mama Ifuifu's resolve, Taka returned to Pride Rock in the hopes of convincing his brother to pardon the Sootfoot clan. In spite of his plea Mufasa remained stubborn. On his last visit to the Sootfoot clan Mama Ifuifu thanked him for all his help and warned him that tomorrow would be a day of reckoning at Pride Rock. He attempted to inform Mufasa of Ifuifu's threat, but the king was so tired of listening to his brother plead on behalf of the hyenas that he dismissed his warning out of paw. At sunset Mufasa led six of his best huntresses, Sarafina, Buibui, Hlali, Ukali, Kipanga, and Zito, to the dens of the Sootfoot clan and attacked them. He intended to drive them out of the Pridelands once and for all.

By the time the stars came out Mama Ifuifu was dead, yet the Sootfoots continued to fight. Suddenly the lions were distracted by a distress call coming from Pride Rock. Having never visited the Sootfoot clan before Mufasa had only a vague idea of their numbers, so when he arrived to fight them he had no idea over half the clan was missing. The other half had gone to Pride Rock. Mufasa and his huntresses fought valiantly to escape the warriors of the Sootfoot clan and Kipanga perished in the escape. No one can recall how long the battle lasted, but with the help of Mufasa and the remaining huntresses the Pridelanders chased the Sootfoot clan from Pride Rock and finally banished them from the Pridelands. However, the battle was not without other losses. Johari, Mufasa's aunt, died in the fighting. Several cubs were also lost and Sarabi was badly injured. While Rafiki healed her Sarabi told Mufasa that Scar had taken Uru, Binti and Chibi away from Pride Rock just before the fighting started. He did not return with them until early in the morning.

Mufasa summoned Taka to the throne of Pride Rock with a furious roar. Taka stood proudly before his brother. "Where were you when the Sootfoot clan attacked?" Mufasa demanded.
"I was protecting mother and my nieces. I tried to take Sarabi and Johari with me, but they refused despite my warnings."

"Why did you not return to fight?"

Taka glared at his brother in silence for a moment. "Because it was wrong, brother," he said so everyone could hear. "The Sootfoot clan was innocent. Your contempt forced them to this extreme. If it were not for you, Johari would still be alive! You are the murderer!"

"SILENCE!" Mufasa roared, striking Taka across the face so hard that he flew to the ground. When Taka rose, panting and shivering in shock, blood seeped from the deep gash left by Mufasa's claws. All of Pride Rock fell silent. "I would banish you for cowardice had you not saved my mother and daughters! Instead, this scar shall be a permanent reminder of your betrayal. By my royal degree, you are no longer Prince Taka. From now on you shall be known only as 'Scar.'"

The prince slunk away. The following morning a funeral was held for Kipanga, Johari, and all the others who died defending Pride Rock. Finally, the Sootfoot clan was officially banished to the Elephant Graveyard on penalty of death, where they suffered in hunger and thirst for the next two years.

…

"Most of you only remember Scar's punishment. Now all of you know what came before. Mufasa was a great king, no one can deny this, but even legends make mistakes. Mufasa was wrong to attack the Sootfoot clan and by inviting them into our home, King Scar hopes to make amends for the past. That is why we should all stand beside him."

"Thank you, mother," Scar purred. He stood in front of Uru's boulder and looked over the crowd with his vivid green eyes. "My brother is watching over all of us now and I know that he regrets his mistake. On the last day of his life he told me he was sorry for the way everything turned out. He would have taken it all back, if he could."

The animals dispersed as the pride returned to their dens. Nala and her mother walked at the back of the group. Up until now Nala had no idea that Nana Uru was the same as the Old Queen Uru. Though that in itself presented many questions, she was more concerned with what happened to the Sootfoot clan. She felt a little better about herself knowing that even someone as great as Mufasa could make mistakes, though she still felt terrible for Scar, who had to suffer at the paws of his own brother when he thought he was doing the right thing. Now that she knew the truth she understood why the hyenas attacked Laini and why her mother thought they were plotting against them. Uru and King Scar seemed to believe they could learn to live together. Nala wondered if they were right. Her mother looked angry, so she didn't ask for her opinion. Maybe Sarabi would answer her questions tomorrow.