XXII

The Deal

Meersha ran and ran. A few time she was smacked and snarled at by guarding lionesses if she accidently stepped over the borders of the Broken-Claw Empire. But she did nothing in her defence, not caring. Soon, as her paws carried her, she became tired, and yet still restless. Night came and, panting, the young lioness found a water hole in the southwest. It didn't even seem that the guarding lionesses were near, and so, she sat down on the water's edge, glaring at herself as she had done earlier that day. Yet, as the moonlight came down across the smooth surface of the lake, Meersha couldn't help looking up, and seeing a lion, not too far off in the distance. He was pale - pale like the moon. For some distant reason, the lioness got up, and walked over. He seemed too busy, staring down at the reflection of the moon to notice her. It looked as if he was trying to concentrate - that there was something he needed to see and find, but that he couldn't. Nevertheless, his eyes did not move from the silky liquid which his view easily past through.

Quietly, Meersha said, "Hi."

The lion started and looked up at her, almost in shock for a moment. "What? Oh! Er, um, h-hi, um...Izegbe! S-sorry!" he stammered, trying to find the right words as his blue and white eyes laid on her.

Meersha smiled. "Just call me Meersha."

Becoming calm, the lion nodded and replied, "Meersha...that's a nice name."

"Thank you. My father named me."

"You...you remember your father?"

"Yeah. Don't you?"

He shook his head, his black mane swaying as he did so. "No...All I remember is walking through the savannah as cub. Then Mother found me and gave me a name."

"Mother? You mean, Ahadgna?"

He nodded.

"Didn't you have a name before?" she questioned further.

"No. I mean, yeah, probably. But I don't remember it. Well actually, I remember the lionesses called me something. But my real name came when my mane began to first show itself. So Mother Ahadgna gave me my real name."

"So...what is your 'real' name?" Meersha purred warmly.

"Kikaru. Er, that's what she says."

Meersha nodded. "That's cool...Kind of sad, though."

"What? Why? Mother named me, and that's not sad."

"It's sad that you don't remember your real name."

"Well...Mother says this is my real name now."

"But your mother...your real mother must've named you something before...You don't remember?"

"I don't even remember her. Doesn't matter, though. She is my real mother now."

"That's what she tells you...Look, can I give you a name?"

"Huh?"

"Can I give you a name?" she repeated.

He blinked, taken aback. "Sure." he finally answered with a grin.

"Hmm," she thought aloud.

Meersha studdied him. His _expression was gentle, but with strong compassion. His body had muscle. The mane, tail tuff, as well as the tuffs on the back of his front leg joints were all night black, like Gatu's, while his coat was white. Like Ahadgna's. The shape of his body was Mufasa's, and the face looked like a pale Simba. She could easily compare him to all whom she knew, and even ones she did not.

"You look like...a Hadra? No. More like, Gwalu. Nah..." Meersha sighed and shook her head, closing her eyes, when finally, the perfect name came to mind. She opened her purple eyes and smiled. "Zarazu!"

Kikaru tilted his head. "Zarazu?"

She nodded.

"All right...but on one condition," he said.

Meersha frowned, hoping that he would not be the same as the other two.

"I will be Zarazu and call you Meersha, if you call me Zarazu."

"Well of course! That's why I named you that!" she giggled in relief.

"So, deal?"

"Yeah. Deal."

Zarazu then warned, "We must call each other those in private, though. We'll get punished if we don't."

The two put their paws together, as if shaking. They grinned at each other and stood, starting to walk by the water's edge.

"It's beautiful in this place of the Broken-Claw's lands," Meersha exclaimed, staring at the water.

"Yeah."

"You know, you're a lot different than your brothers."

"We're not really brothers...Anyway, they're jerks,"

"I know." she said, rolling her eyes.

"That we're not really brothers, or that they're jerks?"

"Both."

He shrugged. "Well, they're not that bad. Just get t' know 'em a bit."

"They put a bet on me." growled Meersha.

Kikaru - or Zarazu - gasped. "They what?!" he snarled, and she nodded. "I'll...talk to them...when I can."

"How come I've never seen you around?" she then asked.

Again, the teen lion shrugged. "I usually like to stay here..."

"I can see why."

"I mean, the Broken-Claw...they're my family, but at the same time...I don't agree on some things." he said, shaking his head gravely. "Things have happened anyway..."

"Like what?"

"There were many more males here in this pride - cubs I mean. Anyway, when we all got our manes, we were given our special Broken-Claw names, and put through many tests. One night, the pride found the males talking about females. Luckily, Hawkna, Uhawku and I were out, trying to find mice and other small game."

"That was here? I mean in these lands?"

"Yeah...Anyway, we had left because the others were talking about the females...you know...We knew any male would get in trouble, talking about females like that, so we were smart...Yet, when we came back...only the bodies of the cubs were left..."

Meersha gasped. "They killed them?!"

"Yes...Mother and the sisters told us how it was bad and how those cubs would've been full adults soon, and soon try to take over the Broken-Claw as well as other prides, despite their teachings from Ahadgna and the other lionesses."

For awhile, they walked slowly, not talking, just listening to the night breeze and the distant crickets as the long blades of the savannah tickled their legs, and the bone-chilling water surounded their paws every time they dared to step in. But, far off, there was a dark lioness, who glared at them. She couldn't help but let a snarl escape from behind her lips as she turned around and began to stalk off, near the middle of the Broken-Claw Empire where Ahadgna would be found atop her specia hill.

"Mother," growled Yawnda. "It's not working."

"What? What's not working? And what's so important that you have to wake me?" grumbled Ahadgna from inside the cave.

"Our teachings..."

"It hasn't been long at all, my sister. Give it time. Then she'll be just like one of us."

"But she and Kikaru! They're secretly calling each other by their cub names!" excalimed Yawnda.

Ahadgna peaked out of one eye. "Cub names? What is Kikaru's cub name anyway?"

"Well, when we found him out on our search many full moons ago, he said he didn't remember. And when we brought him back, he was still a small cub, not worthy of his Broken-Claw name yet. So the other cubs started calling him Chioke, and it caught on. Don't you remember?"

The white leader nodded as she got up, stretched and yawned. "Right. OK. So what else?"

"They made a deal and Izegbe - the precious," she added with a smirk. "named Kikaru herself."

"What?!" snarled the ghostly lioness, so loud that a few animals nearby looked up from their sleep, including other lions.

"Yeah. I forgot the name - couldn't really hear that great anyway. But my point is, it's not working."

Ahadgna nodded and became calm again. "Right. We'll have a meeting tonight."

"What will you say?" Yawnda questioned, curiously.

"I will say what you did. And I will order everyone - including you - to do everything in our power to...No, wait," she considered. "OK, Yawnda, I need you to do something," and she ignored Yawnda's rolling eyes. "Tomorrow, you will take our young Izegbe on a 'hunt.' Got it?"

"For males?"

She nodded. "Make her see what males do."

"She already knows; it happened to her."

"Yes, but make her remember. Take her to a pride where the old leader and cubs are the victims. And then, hopefully, the anger and rage will get Izegbe in her place, and..."

Yawnda nodded and a wicked smile crossed her sharp face.