Strength of Heart

Strength of Heart is a fanfiction story by Friendly that features the Moyo Hodari Pride.

Chapter 1: Heir Unchosen
The male lion trained his eyes on the horizon, waiting. He stood completely still, his ochraceous eyes never leaving the skyline. The ground was cold against his paws, and a light wind tousled the brown fur of his mane. The only movement from him was the slight rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Each breath he took tasted of dust and grass, as well as the faint rich odors of the small prey animals lurking about. The air was filled with their sounds, the squeaking and the chirping.

"They have not returned yet?" The lion did not turn at the sound of the soft, low voice that spoke behind him. A vaguely rotund lioness with pale cream-colored fur sat down on his left side, following his gaze with her own tan eyes.

"They'll be back," the lion answered unconcernedly.

"I know they will. But in the meantime, I've been wanting to talk to you, King Hodari, and now is as good of a time as any," the lioness announced in a tone that sounded like she was attempting to cover up any nervousness she might feel.

"You want to talk to me?" The lion's surprise was evident on his face, but he said no more and looked expectantly at the lioness. Meeting his eyes, she hesitated briefly before she spoke.

"You still haven't chosen an heir."

King Hodari sighed, his gaze dropping to his paws. "I know what I am doing, Darahani," he responded flatly, his voice expressionless.

"I don't think you do," Darahani answered simply, her tail twitching.

"It is not your place to challenge my decisions," Hodari replied, his claws flexing and leaving furrows in the soil. It came out sharper than he had intended, and Darahani stepped back.

"I know. Perhaps I am not the one to speak with you about this. But I know the cubs. Any of the males could succeed you, they're all full of spirit . . ."

"Not yet, Darahani. Please, leave me in peace."

But Darahani did not leave. Instead, she tilted her head back, gazing up at the stars. "I heard from one of the hares, the old one who made the journey over the Poromoko Cliffs and started a drove here, that the stars are lion kings that have died."

"The stars? The deceased kings? Well, it figures that you heard that from a hare, Darahani," Hodari replied, his voice politely amused. "The kings, along with the other fallen, are still with us, of course you know that. Listen, here them now."

Darahani fell silent. Above the noise made by the small night creatures, the sound of the faint wind rustling the grass was audible.

"That is more than a breeze," Hodari continued softly. "It is one of our pride members, invisible to us. But we can still hear them."

"Yes, I know," Darahani murmured. She yawned briefly before turning around. As she walked quietly back up a slope, she paused and glanced back. "Please think about what I said, King Hodari. The future of the pride depends on your decision."

Though Hodari did not watch her retreat, he heard her faint pawsteps fading away. He exhaled slowly and inhaled a long breath of fresh night air, deep in thought. The cubs. There were male cubs, as Darahani had pointed out. Spirited cubs. And it wasn't like they were the first in a long time, either. There were those who were already solid-coated, just ready to be selected. . . but he hadn't done it. He hadn't chosen any of them yet. He knew his pride was getting worried, and that was not good. Yet he wasn't certain whom he would choose. ..

A new scent wafted on the air- many new scents, in fact. Badilifu, Ekundu, Fahari, and all of the other lionesses mixed with the mouthwatering aroma of fresh wildebeest. Kumbufu, a lioness with a very good memory, had been right as usual, it seemed. The wildebeest herd must be moving through their territory as she had predicted based on the routes of their previous migrations.

Sure enough, he could see the lionesses dragging something big, horned, and limp. Its brown fur, black it the darkness of the night, was streaked with blood and scored with tooth marks. Not the cleanest kill he had ever seen, but it would certainly feed the pride, and that was what mattered. Hodari thought for a moment, then decided to help to speed up the process. In a couple of bounds he was in front of the lionesses, who greeted him with friendly looks. With a nod, Hodari sank his teeth into the shoulder of the great animal and began dragging it along. The flavor of the blood on his tongue made it hard not to tear away a strip of meat, but he resisted the impulse and continued pulling until, finally, the wildebeest had been dragged up the hill.

"What is the reason for your lateness?" Hodari asked, once all of their mouths were free from the burden of the prey.

"Fahari took a nasty kick in the head," Ntulivu explained. "She needed to rest."

"Will she be all right?"

"Most likely, though you should ask Kumbufu. She'd know better than I would."

Hodari turned towards Kumbufu, who stopped grooming her hind paw, stood, and walked over to Fahari. Hodari noticed that the injured golden lioness appeared rather unsteady, her eyes dazed. Kumbufu gently guided her to a soft patch of grass. "Lie down here, let me look."

Hodari did not bother to watch as Kumbufu parted Fahari's fur with her right forepaw. With a wet renting sound, he tore a slab of meat away from the bones of the wildebeest and carried it to his den, which was a hollow dug out beneath a broad, blocky granite boulder.

Settling down with his meal, he took a small bite and chewed it slowly, savoring the rich flavor. As he ate, his eyes traced the top of the slope where the pride was now eating happily. Magharibi has roused the lions from their slumber, and they had emerged to join the wildebeest feast. Nguruma, the oldest member of the pride, shook his sleep-ruffled mane and sat down next to the young male Askari. The elder lion's yellowing teeth sank into the flank of the kill and gouged out a lump of meat, which he shared with Askari.

Hodari took note of Askari's flexible build, his long legs, the muscles that moved beneath his fur as he pulled his portion of meat closer. He was a protective lion, full of spirit, willing to learn. . . an almost ideal choice for an heir. He always had been. But Hodari had not chosen him. Why? Was it just that he was unwilling to choose an heir, and by doing so ascertain that one day, his reign would end? That was foolishness, he knew that someday he would grow old and let another lion take over, he had always known that. . . but was it still true? He shook his head irritably, unwilling to delve deeper into the thought. He turned his focus to his food, to the burying of his teeth into the still-warm flesh and ripping out large bites.

Soon he was licking bits of blood, flesh, and viscera off of his chops. Darahani's words had given him much to ponder, but it could wait? ''But for how long? ''a nagging voice in his head queried. Hodari sighed, unable to shake the troubling thought. He was not a young lion. He wasn't very old, either, but a lot of things could happen. His mind flashed back to his late father, gored by a Cape buffalo, hunched over on the ground as the life spilled out of him. If his own father had been king, would he have chosen his heir by now? Perhaps not- throughout the entire time Hodari had known him, his father had been the picture of stubbornness. Hodari had once been proud because he was different. He was a sensible lion who thought practically and realistically, and knew what was best for the pride. Wasn't he? Now he wasn't so sure.

Chapter 2: Hare Ears
Kimeta yawned widely and stretched the muscles in her forepaws, lowering her front half to the ground. The sun had not yet cleared the horizon, and glancing around, she saw that only a few others lionesses had arisen. King Hodari was still asleep. ''Might as well take a walk. ''Stretching out her limbs one last time, she strode briskly away from the lush patch of grass she had chosen as a sleeping spot and down the slope. "Hey, Ekundu!" she called out to the reddish lioness who was still sound asleep. "Ekundu!" At last, Ekundu jerked awake.

"Come on, Kimeta!" she whined. "Can't I at least sleep in on the days we don't hunt?"

"What, don't want to take a walk with a friend?" Kimeta answered, pretending to be hurt. Ekundu's glower vanished, replaced by her usual peaceful smile.

"Okay, okay. Let's go."

At the base of the hill, Kimeta tilted her head as a slight scurrying noise became audible. Her eyes scanned the ground and located the small circular opening. She slammed her paw over it just in time; less than a second later, something furry crashed into it from underground.

"Ouch!" she heard a nasal voice cry out. Grinning, Kimeta lifted her paw away to reveal Sikiza, the Cape hare, rubbing his little head with a paw.

"Whoops. Sorry, rabbit. Wasn't watchin' where I was walking. You leave these holes all over the place, did you know that?" Well, it's half true, she thought. Sikiza and his drove did leave the ground around the hill riddled with holes.

The long-eared leporid hesitated, then gave a strained sounding chuckle. "Ah- sorry. We need to get around, see . . . and, er, I'm a hare, you see . . ."

"Hare, rabbit," Ekundu responded languidly. "Is there a difference?"

"Ah . . . yes." Sikiza's voice grew terse, and he took a step back. "B-but I need to go report to King Hodari, you understand."

"'Course, don't let us stop you," Ekundu told him lazily.

"But our much-adored king is still asleep, he might eat you if you bug him," Kimeta put in. "Just kidding," she quickly added as pure terror flooded over the hare's face.

"Oh . . . very funny . . . quite funny indeed . . ." Taking a couple more steps back, Sikiza rapidly turned and darted up the hill, and white flash of his tail bobbing up and down. Kimeta and Ekundu watched him go, Ekundu visibly suppressing laughter.

"I probably should not have said that Hodari would eat him," Kimeta muttered, feeling slightly guilty.

"Don't worry about it," Ekundu told her. "That animal is a nervous wreck. Always has been."

''Don't worry about it. ''That seemed to be Ekundu's response to everything. "Okay," Kimeta replied. "Should we keep going, or head back?"

"Are you kidding? We just got out here."

"Yeah, but our chat with Sikiza wasted some of our time. Anyway, I'd like to here Sikiza's report," Kimeta explained, turning back.

Ekundu sighed. "Fine. But next time, don't wake me up and bring me down here only to drag me back up," she consented with good humor.

Back up the hill, almost all of the lionesses were awake. Sikiza was waiting outside of Hodari's den, nervously cleaning between his elongated hind toes while waiting for the king. When the lion emerged, shaking his short brown mane, Sikiza scratchily cleared his throat. "We heard some rumors, Your Majesty, of some strange lion in the area," he announced.

This proclamation was followed by a babble of mutters from the rest of the pride. Rogue lions usually meant trouble. But as usual, King Hodari's expression was difficult to read. "Continue," he instructed Sikiza.

"Well, from what we heard, the trespasser has orange-brown fur. That's all we know. Only one gazelle saw him. The rest has just been traces of scent- that's how we know he is a male."

"Does the scent lead anywhere?" Hodari inquired.

"We followed it for a short time, but the trail disappeared at the Mkondo River."

King Hodari nodded. "Anything else, Sikiza?"

"No, Your Majesty."

"I want your hares on the lookout more than ever. Be our ears. We need to find out more about this rogue lion."

"Yes, Your Majesty." In several swift bounds, Sikiza had vanished down the slope.

"A rogue lion, huh?" Kimeta turned to see her uncle, Nguruma, approaching her.

"As long as he doesn't interfere with our hunting, it doesn't concern me," Kimeta told him. "The lions are the ones who will have to fight him off if he doesn't leave peacefully. Though I would certainly help if I got there in time."

"I know you would," Nguruma told her.

A peaceful silence settled over the pride, though some were still debating about the rogue lion. Nguruma began picking over the remains of the previous night's meal, though little was left but a pile of bones that had been licked clean.

Kimeta lay down and rested her head on her forelegs. Maybe she'd take a nap. The hunt had taken a lot of her energy yesterday. It had been worth it, though. Wildebeest was one of her favorite types of prey, and the hunt had been so successful that only one lioness had been injured. Fahari would recover, too, so no harm had really been done.

She drifted in and out of a doze for the next couple of hours, the sun warming the fur on her back. When she fully awoke, she saw that the sun had just started to set. She stood and stretched, not bothering to smooth her rumpled fur. She gazed at the Kavu Sana Plains, the land surrounding the hill. Everything seemed normal. Wait- she narrowed her eyes- what was that shape emerging from the ground? ''A hare, of course. Huh. Looks like two of them. I wonder if they've seen anything.''

"King Hodari!" she called, and heard the king's snores falter. "We have a couple of hares coming up here."

"Sikiza?" the king grunted sleepily.

Kimeta looked more closely. ''Ugh, they both look just like Sikiza. ''

"I don't think so," she deduced, as the hares neared the top of the slope. One of them looked to fat to be Sikiza, and the other had fur that was slightly more brownish. This one was the first to speak, in a panting, out-of breath voice that was clearly female.

"We need the king!" she exclaimed. "Right now, something has happened!"

"His den is over there," Kimeta told them, pointing with a paw. As they darted over, Kimeta decided to follow them. Let me see why they look so nervous.

"-attacked!" the rotund hare was squealing to Hodari as Kimeta approached. "Blood and fur everywhere! I heard him, too! He was being dragged away by a lion!"

"A lion?" King Hodari growled, his piercing ochre eyes narrowed to slits.

"Yes! Lion scent, too! And heavy paws! I heard them!"

Hodari rose to his paws. "Lead the way." Raising his voice, he called for a couple of the lions to join him.

"Me, too," Kimeta added, stepping forward. The king hesitated. "Come on. I'm a better fighter than he is, and he's going." She gestured to a young lion with a half-grown mane as she spoke. The young one growled, but Hodari nodded. Without another word, the group set off, the hares leading the way.

The female hare bounded swiftly ahead, nose twitching. "Right up here!" she declared in her high-pitched, reedy voice. Kimeta inhaled, and her sinuses were filled with the powerful, mouthwatering scent of fresh hare blood. She followed Hodari and the female hare- the fat one hung back reluctantly- through the tall stalks of grass.

The sight that awaited her looked to her like a typical hunt-struggle with a hare. Blood glistened on the trampled blades of grass, and tufts of grayish fur were scattered about. She tasted the air once more- the tantalizing blood-smell, and something else. Something familiar.

"Lion," she muttered, and Hodari inclined his head in agreement.

"It seems," he growled in his deep voice. "We have found our rogue."

"Are you sure?" one of the lions asked, sniffing around.

"No other explanation," Kimeta responded briskly. "We don't hunt the hares, after all, and this scent is unfamiliar anyway." Moving her head slowly to take in the scene, she saw the brown-coated hare out of the corner of her eye, looking like she was about to faint.

"You can go," she told the small animal. Hodari shot Kimeta a reproving look that said clearly "I give the orders", but said nothing. The hare gave Kimeta a grateful look and disappeared into the grass.

Hodari, meanwhile, had turned his attention to the flattened grass once more. His claws protracted as he examined the mess of fur and blood. He leaned down, nostrils flaring, and arose baring his teeth. Kimeta catiously approached to see what had angered him. At his paws lay several long strands of fulvous fur.

We need more clues, Kimeta thought. She detected a trace of the lion's scent in the air, and followed it into the grass. She noticed that several of the stalks were bent, as if someone had run through them. She followed the faint odor until it grew faint. Kimeta wondered why until she realized that her paws were growing damp, and that the dry soil beneath them had turned to pebbly sand. She was standing on the shore of Mkondo River.

The lion had clearly entered the water. Kimeta quickly decided that it was very likely the rouge knew of the pride's existence- why else cover a scent? As her eyes moved along the shore, searching for any other evidence, they lighted on something bobbing in the shallow water. Kimeta walked towards it, water soaking her legs, small waves lapping at her chest. She finally grew close enough to see what it was. Bloody at the base, nearly ripped in half, held together by a shred of sinew.

A hare's ear.

Chapter 3: River Whispers
"We need to know more," Hodari announced to the pride. The discovery of the rogue, in his territory, eating his allies, had put him in a terrible mood. "I'm sending you out in pairs. Ask around. See what you can find out from the other animals."

The pride murmured assent. "Okay," the king continued. "Fahari, you will be paired with-"

"Wait!" A pale-furred lioness rose elegantly to her paws, an unhappy expression on her face. "Why are we splitting up? That seems like the worst possible thing to do, in my opinion." She emphasized the word 'my', as though her opinion carried far more weight than Hodari's.

"I do not need to justify my reasoning to you, Madoa," Hodari replied coolly. He knew that he could, but he honestly did not feel like explaining himself to such an obnoxious lioness as Madoa. "You'll be partnered with Kubali."

Without protesting, Kubali, an agreeable lioness with pale russet fur, stood and walked over to Madoa. The dappled cream lioness did not even look at her.

"Fahari, you're with Ntulivu. Magharibi, you're with Zoelesha. Kimeta, you're with Askari. Badilifu, you're with Nguruma. Machungwa, Elewa. Ekundu, you're with Imara."

"Wait, what?" Ekundu called out, surprise crossing her face. She turned to her new partner, who gazed back at her expressionlessly. Imara and Ekundu were close to opposites- Ekundu carefree and cheerful, Imara serious and strict. This was precisely why Hodari had paired them together.

"Imara, Ekundu. You're with Imara. Please do not make me repeat myself again." Ekundu sighed but did not press the issue.

No one spoke. Most of them looked pleased with their partners, for which Hodari was glad. But just as he started to turn around, Kumbufu piped up.

"What about me, Your Majesty?"

Hodari stared pointedly at her left hind paw, which was shriveled-looking and deformed. A flash of anger crossed her broad face, and her brown eyes narrowed. "Wanaowalaani, Hodari!" she burst out. "I can get around just fine, just because I can't hunt well, doesn't mean I can't walk."

Startled by her outburst, Hodari gaped at her. As the surprise faded, he felt hot shame creep over him, more than enough to overpower the irritation he felt at her disrespect. Perhaps it was true that he made too many assumptions about her deformity. "All right, Kumbufu," he consented. "You're with me."

After two minutes, they were walking out of the Kavu Sana Plains. "Where are we going?" Kumbufu asked him.

Hodari sighed. He did not like explanations, but then again, Kumbufu should probably know what they were doing beforehand. "Mkondo River. You know how many animals are there. Maybe one of them saw something."

"Good idea! I'll remember everything they tell us, you know what a great memory I have."

"Yes, I am aware."

When they reached the clear flow of water that was the Mkondo River, Hodari was pleased to see a large gathering of animals. Several different herds, at least. On the other paw, they did not look quite as pleased to see the two lions approaching them. Many of them tensed, and a pair of dik-diks bolted.

"At peace," Hodari declared, calmly but loudly. "We do not hunt today." He strode forward and took a lap of the water. Best to let them all relax before demanding information. Out of the corner of his eye, he scanned the different animals. Zebras, sable antelope, lesser kudu, and a lone golden jackal, as well as a couple flocks of birds.

"We'll ask the zebras first," he murmured to Kumbufu as he arose with a dripping muzzle.

"Got it," she replied, her brown eyes glimmering with excitement. Hodari realized that she didn't really leave the slope very often, never mind the Kavu Sana Plains.

Hodari approached the striped animals as calmly as possible. They gazed back at him uncertainly, several of them scraping their hooves against the ground. "Hello," Hodari greeted them. "My name is Hodari, and I lead the lion pride."

"Ah . . . I see," one bold zebra managed after a brief silence.

"I was just curious as to whether any of you have seen a lion with orange-brown fur wandering about. A male," Hodari continued.

This got a reaction from a female zebra with green eyes. "Yes! I did! I was just going off to graze, and I saw these eyes peering at me from the grass. I panicked and ran back to the herd, but before I did I glimpsed a muzzle with that orange fur, all bloody and scary-looking."

Hodari lifted his head eagerly. "Where was this?"

"Well . . . I can't quite recall."

"Thanks anyway," Hodari told her, turning around. He had forgotten the poor memory of zebras.

"Maybe the jackal next?" Kumbufu suggested. "Though I've heard they can be liars."

"Maybe, but what reason would a jackal have to lie about a rogue lion in the territory?"

They approached the small animal cautiously, stopping several feet from it. It turned and eyed them with beady blue eyes. "There something you want, lions?" it asked in a cunning voice that could belong to a male or a female.

Hodari went straight to the point. "Have you seen a rogue lion around here anywhere?"

"I see a lot of lions around here," the jackal retorted. The lean canid looked him up and down, analyzing, then turned towards Kumbufu and did the same. Its lip curled into a sneer when her eyes landed on Kumbufu's twisted paw, but it said nothing.

Hodari specified the appearance of the lion for the jackal. "Hmm . . . now that I recall, seems I may have encountered a lion of that sort. But I have such a poor memory, you see . . . yes, I can't seem to remember. Maybe after a good meal I'll be able to, but right now I'm just too tired to hunt."

"You're asking me to hunt for you, you little . . ." Hodari seized control of his temper before he could carried away. ''Easy. Be sensible. ''He contemplated whether or not it would be worth it. Something about the gleam in the cerulean eyes of the jackal told him so. But as he stepped away from the shore, Kumbufu deliberately stomped on his hind paw with her good one.

"No. Chasing rodents would be a waste of time. Get a fish instead, there are so many of them." Appreciating her cleverness, Hodari walked slowly into the water, silvery minnows darting around his paws. He examined the clear water until he sighted a trio of fish, swimming side by side. He crouched, then launched himself forward, landing with a huge splash. The fish were faster than he expected, and he missed. Seeing one swimming away, he tried to flatten it with both paws, but the wriggling creature escaped. Fed up, Hodari gave up using his paws and plunged his head underwater and felt his teeth sink into something soft and rubbery. The fish thrashed, almost freeing itself, but Hodari lifted his head and breached the surface. Securing the fish with a better grip, he moved to shore as fast as he could, half swimming and half walking.

Triumphant, he dropped the fish at the paws of the jackal and saw that it was laughing. Her laughter was easier to read than her voice, and Hodari could tell that she was female. He realized that he must look quite undignified. He could feel water dripping into his face from his mane, which was flattened against his forehead. He was soaking wet, and his fur was a mess. The jackal, still chuckling, dove into the fish, ripping it apart and devouring it.

"All right, lions," she began, her long pink tongue sweeping over her chops to remove the lingering scraps of fish. "I did see a lion that fits your description."

"Will you take us to the place that you saw him?" Hodari asked, keeping his voice smooth. The jackal seemed to ponder his words.

"No," she replied finally. "You can find your own way, I'll tell you where to go. Cross the river, continue forward in the direction of Towe Gorge. You might see some prints or something, who knows."

Hodari nodded his thanks and signaled for Kumbufu to follow him. She did so without complaining, and they waded into the water. Hodari wondered if Kumbufu's paw would stop her, but she appeared to be managing. The river wasn't too deep, but it was wide, so crossing it took more time than Hodari would have liked.

"Have you thought this through, King Hodari?" Kumbufu could not help but ask.

"Yes," the gold-furred lion replied briskly. "We follow the directions that jackal gave us. Then, we catch this rogue."

Chapter 4: On the Offensive
Kumbufu struggled slightly to keep up with Hodari. The lion walked quickly and briskly, his eyes roaming the land ahead. She bit back a growl as a curling root caught her deformed paw and nearly tripped her. Recovering herself, she freed her foot and continued, trotting a little to catch up.

"Is this the cleverest move, King Hodari?" she questioned the king. He paused, turned, and held her gaze with those yellow-brown eyes of his, his expression stony. She knew that he did not much like being interrogated, but she believed that this was something that had to be discussed. "Wouldn't it be better if we went back for backup?" she pressed.

"I can handle one rogue. With you here as well, we should not have any trouble."

Kumbufu padded after him, increasing her speed whenever he grew too far ahead. They walked in slence for five minutes or so, then Hodari halted and narrowed his eyes. Following his gaze, Kumbufu saw that there was a set of faint paw prints several yards in front of them, leading forward.

"Large prints," she remarked. "Adult male, I presume." Hodari did not reply, he only continued forward. Now the Towe Gorge was visible, a long crack in the short, grassy land around them. The reddish walls were jagged and uneven. Claystone, Kumbufu thought, recalling what she had been told about the place as a cub.

"What's the plan?" she asked Hodari.

"Enter the gorge and find the rogue. Once we're down there, it should be easy. There are not many places to hide, and the water is very low this time of year."

Secretly pleased to know that he had been sensible enough to think ahead, Kumbufu loped to the edge of the gorge and tried to peer down. But the ground transitioned so abruptly from dry grass to rough stone that she lost her balance, caught a claw in a small crevice, and lurched forward. A burst of pain shot up her leg as the nail was torn lose from the distal phalanx. She heard Hodari lunge forward and felt his sharp teeth pulling her back.

"Sorry," Kumbufu apologized, catching her breath. "That was foolish. I should not have blindly wandered so close to the edge."

"Indeed," Hodari agreed. "Come on. Let's enter from the western end." They walked alongside the gorge until Kumbufu could see the ground of it slowly rising. At the very end, a jagged trail led out.

"That's our way in," Hodari told her.

"Okay," Kumbufu agreed, trying to hide the flutter of nervousness she suddenly felt. ''What if I hurt myself going down, and he makes me stay behind? ''Resolving to be cautious, she slowly scrambled down, somewhat ungracefully. Hodari followed in three neat leaps, moving so lightly that his paws barely seemed to touch the ground.

Moving through the Gorge proved to be more difficult than Kumbufu would have liked. The ground was rugged and pitted at first, which made walking difficult. It got worse when they entered the water, if it still could be called water.  'Sludge' is probably the more accurate term, Kumbufu thought as the oleaginous brown liquid clung to her fur.

"See anything?" she asked Hodari, but received no answer. The lion was glancing around, sniffing the air, moving his ears. He seemed oblivious to her, focused only on his surroundings. Suddenly, he stiffened. His head turned towards a small pile of knobbly boulders. Kumbufu inhaled, but the wind was blowing away from them, so she could not discern any particularly interesting scent.

"There is something there, I heard it. Go around those rocks on the right side. I'll take the left."

Kumbufu obeyed, creeping carefully around the boulder heap. "Now," she heard Hodari hiss, and she pounced. She saw a flash of rich orange, felt fur slip between her paws, and watched as a lion ran directly towards Hodari. The king wrapped his forepaws around the new lion's shoulder and slammed him against the ground. Kumbufu heard the lion huff as the air escaped his lungs. He thrashed beneath Hodari, and Kumbufu walked around and planted a paw against his haunch to further restrain him.

Staring down at the lion, she was shocked to see his smooth, scarless coat, white teeth, and half-grown mane the color of rust. ''He can't be full grown! ''

Hodari seemed to come to the same conclusion. "It seems, Kumbufu," he commented. "That this rogue is a cub."

"Not quite a cub. Look at his mane." Kumbufu tried to point with her free paw, but the lion snapped savagely at her. She drew her paw back just as his teeth clipped the air where it had been a second before.

"Let me up," the lion growled.

"You're in no position to made demands of me," Hodari replied coolly. "What are you doing in our territory?"

"Didn't know this was anyone's territory."

"Well, you are. So I must demand that you leave," Hodari ordered, springing off the youth and letting his rise to his paws.

"I can't do that," the lion told him, and Kumbufu heard an undercurrent of worry in his tone. "Really, I can't. I can't leave."

"And why would that be?"

"There are . . . come on, can't a just stay here? Can you honestly tell me your pride hunts in this old ravine? I haven't seen anyone since I arrived here, what, a week ago?"

"You came here a week ago?" Hodari snarled.

"Uh, yeah."

"You are leaving," the king lion demanded, fuming.

"No, I already told you, I can't . . ."

"Look," Kumbufu broke in. "Tell us why you can't. We're going back and forth here. If you can't tell us, we're going to have to drive you out by force."

The lion hesitated. "Oh, okay. Follow me."

He led them down the gorge, striding through the viscous water as if he was walking on nice dry earth. Kumbufu noted the considerable size of his paws. That's why we didn't realize that he wasn't an adult.

Finally, the lion turned to one side of the gorge. Kumbufu saw a triangular gap in the wall, higher than her head. ''Surely he couldn't jump. . . ''Then she noticed the thin, ragged trail that led up to the hole. It looked far to small for the lion's wide paws to navigate, though.

"Nurisha! Ajali! Macheo!" the lion called in his low, clear voice. A moment later three heads appeared in the front of the miniature cave.

Cubs. Taking a look at them, Kumbufu noticed that they could not possibly be siblings- not all of them, at least. The smallest cub had pale tawny fur, pale yellowish-green eyes, and distinctively large ears. The largest was so pale as to be almost white, with a diamond-shaped muzzle and a crest of fur on her head that stood upright. The third cub was a soft, warm brown color, with far-set, bright tangerine eyes and a tall forehead. None of them resembled the rogue lion.

"Kingiza, what's going on?" the cub with the palest fur asked, her eyes lighting on Kumbufu and Hodari. Her brow furrowed as she glanced from one lion to the other.

"Nothing. It's fine," the rogue lion, who now had a name, replied.

"Then why're they here?" continued the cub. Her eyes, which were the color of honey, locked with Kumbufu's, startlingly intense.

Hodari looked at the cubs, then at Kingiza. "Are they related to you?"

Kingiza paused, as if deciding whether or not to answer. "Macheo's my cousin. Ajali and Nurisha are brother and sister, but neither of them are related to us."

"Which one is which?"

"Big-ears up there is Ajali. The tallest is Nurisha. Macheo has the brown fur."

Kumbufu found it hard to believe that the largest and smallest cubs were related at all. They looked completely different, nothing like siblings. And yet, looking more closely, she could she some vague similarities in the shapes of their noses, the set of their ears.

Looking at the cubs, Hodari's expression hardened. "Get out and take them with you. They look strong enough to make it- except, perhaps, for the runty one."

"Runty?" the smallest cub snarled. "Are you calling me- whoa!" He had tried to step out of the hole, stumbled off of the trail, and fell to the ground with a ''thud. ''"Ow." He was lying with his rear end in the air, tail flopping into his eyes. Hodari stared at him with disdain clearly stamped into his features as the cub stood, hopping from paw to paw as if each movement smarted.

"No way. You think that you can just kick me and these cubs out? We haven't been bothering anybody. The only animals that live here are a couple of really ugly birds," Kingiza argued, baring those sharp white teeth.

"You ate one of my allies."

"What, the wildebeest?" The fulvous lion now looked confused.

"The hare, you thief."

"The thing practically blundered into my paws," Kingiza snarled, stiffening. "Besides, I have to eat something. And so do the cubs." His brass eyes were dark and angry, locked with Hodari's ochre glare.

As Hodari protested, Kumbufu watched the cubs. The pale tawny cub, Ajali, had sat himself down and was staring at the bickering lions. The cub that Kingiza had called his cousin- what was her name?- was exchanging a concerned gander with the other female, Nurisha. Suddenly, as her eyes roamed over Kingiza's powerful frame, his wide paws, an idea came over her.

"King Hodari, may I speak to you?" she interrupted. Hodari gave her a questioning look, but followed her over the the edge of the Towe Gorge. "Listen," she began. "This could be what our pride needs."

"A rogue eating our food?" Hodari growled, bewildered.

"No. New blood."

"Are you implying that Kingiza, that insolent fool . . ." Hodari fell silent, shocked.

"Think about it. He's clearly strong. And not just a selfish rogue. We could let him join our pride. You know it's the best thing to do, Hodari." She carefully monitored his expression as he mulled over her words. At last, he reached a decision.

"Very well," he sighed. He turned and walked back to Kingiza. "Listen, lion," he started. Kingiza faced him, his expression irritated. However, Kumbufu thought she could see worry beneath the annoyed mask.

"What now?"

"My companion has made a suggestion to me, and I agreed. We think that you could . . . join our pride. You and the cubs."

Whatever Kingiza might have been expecting, it clearly wasn't that. "Join your pride? I thought you we're trying to get rid of us!"

"Are you no longer reluctant to leave?" Hodari queried.

The lion ignored this and began pacing, frowning. Finally he halted. "Okay . . . I can't say I see anything wrong with bringing the cubs to the pride, at least."

Kumbufu nodded, trying to encourage him. "They would have a mother and father in the pride that could take care of them," she told him.

"I take care of them perfectly fine myself!" Kingiza argued, but after a pause he inclined his head. "Very well. But . . . we can leave, right? If they don't like it."

"Yes," Hodari replied. "But know that by leaving the pride once, you will no longer be welcome in the territory. Even if seasons pass and the cubs mature, they still may not venture back onto our land."

"Sounds great," Kingiza retorted, bitterness seeping into his tone. He twisted his neck until he faced the cave, where the two females were peering out. The male cub was gaping at Hodari with round tilleul eyes. Kingiza called for the cubs to come down, and they obeyed, moving gracefully down the narrow trail.

"They bringing us away? To a pride?" Nurisha inquired. Her face was very difficult to interpret.

Kingiza nodded, and the second female cub smiled widely. "Great! I'd like to meet some new lions!" She stood up on the tips of her paws, clearly ready to go.

"Well, I'm glad you're happy about it, Macheo," Kingiza responded. He surveyed the cubs with his aeneous eyes once more, then directed his attention to Hodari.

"Lead the way, king lion."

Chapter 5: A New Home
It was loud. It was crowded. It was full of new scents and tastes.

It was a lot to take in.

Nurisha glanced around, trying to adjust to the new environment. She felt Ajali's fur pressing against her side, and she knew that he was as daunted as she was, despite the brave face he was putting on. Macheo did not seem troubled at all; did anything faze that cub? Kingiza looked defensive, as if he were about to put himself between the cubs and the lions around them.

To be fair, the pride members were all keeping their distance. . . to some degree. Nurisha could see a cub with reddish orange fur peering at them curiously, inching closer at an increasing pace. Macheo saw her, too. "Hi there!" the plump cub called out to the stranger in a bright voice.

A grin spread across the other cub's face. "Hello!" She put on a falsely thoughtful expression. "Hmm . . . I don't think I've seen you around here before. Are you members of the hare drove delivering a message?"

Macheo laughed brightly, and Ajali smiled widely. Nurisha felt the edges of her own mouth turn up slightly. "What's your name?" Macheo asked.

"Chekesha. Yours?"

"I'm Macheo! This is Nurisha, Ajali . . . and Kingiza." Macheo introduced them.

"Nice to meet you all! Hey, how about you get something to eat? Some of the lionesses found a zebra carcass today!" Chekesha invited cheerfully.

"Yes, of course," Ajali broke in, eager to take the lead. "Just show us the way!"

Chekesha happily led them over to the remains of a zebra, where a large fiery colored lion and a pale peach-colored lioness were dining with gusto. The lion lifted his bloodied muzzle as they approached, shaking locks of his mane out of his hazel green eyes. "What's this?" he queried in a bored voice.

"New cubs! Isn't it great?" Chekesha gushed.

Machungwa didn't seem to think so, but he replied in the same tone as before, "Sure it is, uh . . ."

"Chekesha."

"Right, right. Chekesha. Got to remember that." He turned back to his meal, his teeth scraping against the bone as he tore off a strip of meat and devoured it. The lioness next to him surveyed Nurisha and the others for a moment, seeming hardly more interested than the lion. But she dutifully asked them their names, and they introduced themselves politely.

"Zoelesha," the lioness declared in a stentorian, before dipping her head back into the zebra. Nurisha paused, then tore off a scrap of meat, chewed it, and swallowed. The flavor was strong, and she quite enjoyed it. I can't remember the last time I had zebra.

She felt Kingiza's warm breath brush the fur of her ear as he leaned down and dropped his voice to a whisper. "Will you three be okay? I think the leader wants to talk to me." Casting a darting glance, Nurisha saw that the king lion, the one with the golden fur and the short brown mane, was staring at Kingiza with an expectant expression.

"What? But . . . I mean, yeah, sure, Kingiza. Go ahead, we'll be great," Ajali responded, speaking for all three of them.

Nurisha concealed a stab of nervousness as Kingiza walked away. ''Why am I afraid? This is my home. I need to stop acting like I'm in a clan of hungry hyenas. ''She faced Chekesha and smiled politely. Looking directly into the cub's eyes for the first time, Nurisha saw that they were an interesting color- bright carmine red. "Um, maybe you could introduce us to some other lions?"

"Sure thing!" Chekesha agreed. "I'll show you all the other cubs! Would you like to meet my sister?"

"Of course!" Macheo replied, and Chekesha led them over to a stout lioness with pale russet fur. She was lying on her side, and had one paw wrapped protectively around a cub that was much smaller than Chekesha. The cub's golden fur was dull and patchy. Her nose was running, and her dull red eyes seemed sore.

"This is Ugonjwa. My sister." The ill-looking cub, Ugonjwa, lifted her thin head as Chekesha said her name. She blinked several times, then spoke in a rasping voice.

"Who are they?"

"I'm Nurisha. This is Ajali and Macheo," Nurisha explained. Ugonjwa nodded, then her head sunk down until it rested on her mother's paw.

"Why don't you let her sleep?" the lioness told the cubs in a soft voice.

"Yes, Mom!" Chekesha accepted. "That's my mother. Her name is Kubali. My dad is Hodari, the king of the pride!"

"Is he . . . nice?" Nurisha ventured, uncertain. He had seemed fierce, even mean, during his encounter with Kingiza.

"Yeah, he is. Keeps to himself, y'know, but comes and plays with us often," Chekesha responded. "Hey, Jembaba!" she called suddenly. A dark-furred cub with deep amber eyes dipped his head in response, but did not approach. He was standing off to the side, muscles tense, leaning slightly forward as if about to fall into a crouching position. "Practicing stalking again," Chekesha noted with a snort. "He's going to become permanently short if he spends any more time staying low to the ground. I'll introduce you to the cubs who know how to have fun!"

The bouncing golden cub frolicked over to a pair of cubs who were worrying a bone with sharp little teeth. One of them was a male, with long ginger fur and green eyes. The other was a yellow-furred lioness. The male looked up as they neared him, curiosity sparking in his emerald gaze. "Well, well. Bringing us more meat, Chekesha?"

"Funny, Kimbilia. Really funny. These are my new friends: Ajali, Nurisha, and Macheo!" Chekesha announced, nodding to each in turn. Nurisha felt some more of her shyness dissolve. ''Friends? I already have a friend! ''

"Nice to meet you!" the lioness greeted kindly, leaping to her paws and giving a small hop. "Where did you come from?"

"We've been living in the territory for . . . . a week? I don't know, I can't remember," Macheo admitted. "Anyway, Chekesha's father found us and brought us back here with my big cousin!"

"Is your 'big cousin' the lion who we saw talking to the king himself not a minute ago?" Kimbilia inquired. Nurisha noted that the emphasis he put on the word 'king' sounded vaguely sarcastic.

"That's him!" Macheo confirmed.

"What are we standing around talking for? Let's play a game!" the lion cub demanded, springing up as well. The movement caused the thick tuft of ruddy fur atop his head to bounce and fall into his dancing green eyes, which Nurisha found rather endearing.

"Sure, but maximum three rules. Okay, Kimbilia?"

Kimbilia looked slightly crestfallen, but he nodded. "I guess," he accepted, shuffling his round paws. He lapsed into thoughtful silence for a minute, then looked up rapidly. "All right! I got it! Here's what we're going to do! Little cub-" Here, Nurisha guessed he was speaking to Ajali, who was the smallest of the cubs. "- you're going to pick up a rock and run with it. Lubaya and Chekesha will chase you. You try to pass of the stone to one of your friends, who will be hiding in the grass. Then, while Chekesha and Lubaya try to figure out who has it while you all run around to confuse them. If he or she can, the one with the rock will make their way over to that dead old tree- I'll show you where it is before we start- and try to climb it to give the stone to me. Then, I become the one to run with it, and Lubaya and Kimbilia become my allies while you two girls- Nurisha and Macheo, right?- are the ones to chase me. Ajali becomes the one who waits on top of the tree, only it'll be a pile of boulders this time- once again, I'll show it to you before we start- and we play again! The rules are: only the rock-carrier and the chasers can climb the tree while his allies stay on the ground and try to stop the chasers from climbing up after him, if the chasers catch and pin the one with the rock they have to give it up and lose, and the rock must be carried in the mouth." He paused, then added quickly, "And no pulling manes."

Nurisha felt like her head was spinning, but Chekesha only laughed in a way that made Nurisha think that devising such complicated games was typical of Kimbilia. "Wow, really easy to follow."

"Oh, totally." Lubaya grinned maliciously. "And that was four rules. You have to get rid of the last one. I can still pull your mane."

Kimbilia looked very unhappy about this. In one deft motion, he brought a paw to his head and swept his mane out of his face. "Fine. So, anyone need me to repeat the rules?"

"Yes!" they all chorused.

About fifteen minutes later, they are were ready at last. Kimbilia had shown them the old tree and the boulder heap before taking them back to the slope. "We'll start here," he declared, scraping at the earth until he unearthed a small, roundish, earth-encrusted rock. Swiftly, he tossed it over to Ajalia, who allowed it to hit him in the face.

"Ow!" The tawny cub shook his head thrice. "Okay. Right. I know just what I'm supposed to do." He took the stone between his teeth and waited as Nurisha followed Macheo down the slope.

"Come on!" Macheo encouraged her. "We have to hide in the grass!"

"I remember, Macheo, don't worry," Nurisha told her. She left her adopted sister behind, as to confuse Chekesha and Lubaya more. She watched as Kimbilia passed. Then, not quite a minute later, she saw her brother, fleeing his pursuers. They were clearly faster than him, and Macheo, who was closer, quickly darted in as he accidentally dropped the rock. The orange-brown cub picked it up and took off, her corpulence slowing her down slightly. Nevertheless, she was quick enough, and Nurisha admired the way the wove through the grass. It was enough to confuse anyone in pursuit of her, and the two chasers were soon looking around, trying to see where she had gone.

"Here!" Nurisha heard the stone plunk to the ground as Macheo dropped it beside her. She snatched it up in her mouth, and, as she heard the pawsteps of Chekesha and Lubaya, ran. She hastened forward, closer and closer to the tree, listening to the panting and the pounding steps of her followers. Without hesitating, she launched herself upward, scrabbling at the dead wood with her claws. Below, she heard a skirmish breaking out, and she tried to pick up the pace.

Finally, she was standing next to Kimbilia. "Nice!" he praised, flashing her a cheerful grin. "Nurisha, Ajali, and Macheo win!" he called to the cubs below. Lubaya and Chekesha gave disappointed huffs, but they were smiling anyway. As they shouted congratulations and Nurisha passed the stone to Kimbilia, Nurisha realized that she probably had never enjoyed herself more than she was now, in a new home, surrounded by new friends.

That night, after another round of the game that involved Lubaya roughly yanking on her brother's mane until it was an untidy mess lying on the top of his head had been completed, Nurisha sat next to her brother and Macheo at the edge of the hilltop. "Great game! I was the best, did you see how I-" Nurisha cut off her brother's boasting by flicking her tail across his muzzle.

"Oh, enough of that, Ajali," she told him affectionately, and he leaned against her gently. Macheo, not to be left out, nearly knocked Nurisha over.

"So, uh, where should we go to sleep?" Macheo wondered.

"Wherever Kingiza is," Nurisha answered certainly.

"Kingiza doesn't appear to have decided," Macheo observed. She inclined her head in the direction of Kingiza, and Nurisha saw that the fulvous lion was standing off to the side, away from the group of sprawled-out lions and lionesses. But as she watched, a lioness stood up and spoke to him. He hesitated, then lay down beside the lioness.

"Come on," Ajali ordered, stepping over to Kingiza. The lioness eyed the three cubs as they approached.

"Why don't you go sleep with the other cubs, newcomers?" she inquired gently.

"If it's okay, Fahari, I'd like them over here with me for tonight. Tomorrow they can go with the other cubs if they want to," Kingiza replied. The lioness nodded, not seeming to mind. Nurisha curled against Kingiza, feeling his chest rise and fall. The warmth of his fur, and that of Macheo and Ajali as they settled down next to her, lulled her into a peaceful slumber.

It was too bad, really, that it was disturbed so soon. But Nurisha wasn't unhappy to see Kimbilia and Lubaya leaning over her. "Good morning!" Kimbilia greeted her brightly.

Beside Nurisha, Kingiza stirred. "Huh? Who's awake?" The sturdy lion rose and yawned, his cavernous mouth stretching open. Lubaya and Kimbilia stared at him.

"This is Kingiza, my cousin!" Macheo had awoken as well. Only Ajali still slept, dozing away while his paws twitched. Either he was dreaming or Kimbilia's voice had somehow penetrated his snoozing. From what she knew of her brother, Nurisha thought the former to be the most likely.

Lubaya and Kimbilia introduced themselves to Kingiza cordially before engaging in conversation with Macheo and Nurisha. "I heard that King Hodari is going to announce you four today!" Lubaya exclaimed.

"Announce us?" Nurisha was confused; what did Lubaya mean?

"Welcome you into the pride, publicly. So everyone knows," the lioness explained.

"Like they don't already," Kimbilia snorted. "But I don't think they all know your names, so it's probably a good thing!"

Just then, Nurisha saw Hodari step out from a hollow carved beneath a granite boulder. The tall golden lion stood up straight, his eyes on his pride, before tilting back his head and issuing a loud roar. He instantly had the attention of his pride. They all approached him, forming a throng of lions. Kingiza, Nurisha, Macheo, and Ajali hung back at first, but Macheo, not at all nervous, strode forward and found a place near the rear center of the crowd.

Hodari cleared his throat. "As some of you know, we welcomed some new lions into our pride last night. Three cubs by the names of Ajali, Macheo, and Nurisha, as well as one male called Kingiza who is nearing maturity." Murmurs rose from the lion pride, and a few heads turned towards them. Hodari waited patiently, then continued. "They will all take their places in the pride. Tomorrow, Kingiza will begin patrolling with the other lions."

Kingiza did not seem surprised by this, though a couple of the lions gave sounds of dissent. The one standing closest to them did not seem hostile, however. He looked serious and strict, his mouth shut tight and his blue eyes betraying no emotion.

The meeting broke up then, but as Nurisha turned, she was startled to feel a paw touch her shoulder. Twisting back around, she found herself looking at Hodari, king of the pride. "I welcome you all to your new home," the king told them. "You're going to fit right in here. All of you."

Chapter 6: Future of the Pride
"Lionesses, are you ready for another hunt?" Hodari inquired in a loud, carrying voice. The lioness lifted their heads and looked at Badilifu. The dark khaki lioness, who was the leader of the hunt, nodded an affirmative.

"Just check with Kumbufu this morning!" she announced. "We're ready to go!"

Good, Hodari thought. The previous day, Badilifu had been acting as though Fahari would not be able to hunt for some time, and they would have to put it off. ''That lioness changes her mind more than anyone I know. ''He waited until all the lionesses were standing around him, waiting to see if he had any farther instructions. "Maybe try hunting near the Mkondo River," he suggested.

Badilifu nodded agreement and started to stroll away. As she and the rest of the hunters neared the edge of the slope, he heard her call, "But we haven't hunted in Indi Valley for a while now!" Choosing to ignore this and let her resolve it with the other lionesses, Hodari padded over to his daughter Ugonjwa. The feeble cub watched him with those tired eyes- so similar to those of her mother, and yet so different.

"Hey, Ugonjwa. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay," Ugonjwa replied in a dead voice. Hodari gently brushed his muzzle against the top of her head.

"Why don't you try exercising or playing a little?" Hodari suggested.

"Chekesha has new friends."

"You're still her best friend," Hodari insisted firmly. "But while she's gone, I'll play with you."

"Okay, Father." Ugonjwa stood up shakily and looked at Hodari expectantly.

''Playing. ''Hodari tried to remember any games from his cubhood that did not involve tussling, pouncing, and chasing. An idea springing into his mind, he took Ugonjwa by the scruff and lifted her onto his back. She didn't protest- didn't make a sound, in fact. "We're going to walk around together."

"Okay," Ugonjwa agreed quietly.

Hodari took slow, gentle steps, careful not to let Ugonjwa slide off. He circled around the slope, watching as the pride, one by one, turned to look at him. After three more circles, he set Ugonjwa down and was surprised to see that she was smiling slightly. "Thank you, Father," she told him with a sniff.

"Did you enjoy that?" Hodari queried eagerly.

"Yes, I did!" Ugonjwa replied, her eyes seeming to brighten.

Hodari turned away from his daughter after holding her gaze lovingly for several seconds, He found himself staring at Kingiza, who was lying on the ground with a forepaw wrapped around a much-gnawed bone. His eyes flickered from Ugonjwa to Hodari.

"I didn't know you had a daughter," he remarked in an unreadable tone.

"Two. Chekesha and Ugonjwa."

"Who's the lucky lioness?"

Ignoring the sarcasm laced subtly into Kingiza's tone, Hodari replied briskly, "Kubali. Pale reddish-brown fur, red eyes . . ."

"I probably saw her. So, you're a king of a pride and you still had cubs?"

Hodari felt a slight prickle of defensiveness. "Why would I not want to?"

Kingiza shrugged, lifting his muscular shoulders. "I don't know. Being king of so many lions seems like a large responsibility."

"It is. But well worth it. And I don't have a problem finding time for my cubs. The pride knows and accepts that I need to take breaks sometimes in order to play with them and teach them. I do not just command the pride, boss them around all day. We're all still individuals who can make our own choices, decide when to hunt and patrol when I am otherwise engaged," Hodari explained.

"I see. So, why did you choose to be king?" Kingiza inquired.

The lion's ignorance of pride law took Hodari by surprise. "I did not. I was chosen myself, when I was about two seasons younger than you are now."

"How is it that a successor is chosen?"

"Well," Hodari began. "It is not a very complicated process. Once a king lion is full grown, they may choose an heir. The heir's coat must be free of cub spots at the time of being selected, so no one makes the mistake of selecting a cub that is full of spirit and bluster but turns out to be a fool."

"Have you chosen an heir?" Kingiza asked.

"No," Hodari answered after a brief hesitation. "I have not."

"Why not?" Kingiza pressed.

"I do not need to explain my thoughts to you, Kingiza," Hodari told the other lion.

"That sounded a lot like 'I don't know why'," Kingiza retaliated.

For some reason, Hodari found himself challenged by Kingiza's words. "You are not a king, you do not understand!" he snapped.

"I think I do understand."

"Why do you care?" Hodari demanded.

This elicited silence from Kingiza. Hodari was about to leave when he finally replied. "This is my new home. I don't want to see it fall apart. There are good lions and lionesses here, and they like having someone to look up to. A leader."

Hodari blinked, trying to think of a suitable reply. "I am their leader for now. There is still time. I'm not exactly keeling over with age, in case you didn't notice."

"Sure you aren't, Gray Whiskers," Kingiza insulted. Hodari's ears went back, but Kingiza plowed on before he can say anything. "Okay. So you aren't that old. But still, I don't see a valid reason you haven't chosen a leader."

"I don't have one." Hodari startled himself with his own reply. He had never confessed that to anyone before; why this rogue he hardly knew?

"Think about it, then. Look over there. What about that lion?" Kingiza gestured to Askari, who was trying to pounce on a grasshopper.

"Askari is faithful and strong, but he lacks the maturity of a leader," Hodari responded. He suddenly found himself examining Kingiza, remembering Kumbufu's words.

New blood.

Short, sturdy. . . mane halfway grown in. Teeth looked sharp, healthy. Ideal. Bold, too, Hodari thought. ''Smart enough. Acts reasonable. ''"Um." Kingiza's voice broke into Hodari's mental study. "Why are you staring at me?"

"No reason," Hodari muttered. He searched for a new topic of conversation to cover himself, and one came to him quickly. In fact, it was something he had wanted to ask during his first conversation with the former rogue the other night, when he had made sure Kingiza and the cubs had no plans of leaving right away. "Kingiza, what is the story of you and those three cubs?"

"It . . . isn't too pleasant," Kingiza answered haltingly.

"Tell me, please."

"I was born into a pride, a great distance from this land. My pride was constantly at war with another pride, who sought to claim our prey-filled territory. Battles grew more frequent . . . and more bloody. Lions often were killed without being given a chance to flee, and those who did usually perished of their wounds shortly after." Kingiza's green-gold eyes had taken on a dark, faraway look. He spoke quickly and quietly, hardly pausing for breath, as if he wanted to get the explanation over with. "Even as a cub, I saw my future. I knew it would lead to nowhere but slaughter if I didn't get out. So I did it. Took off, left the pride. My mother and father were dead by then, but I convinced my older brother to come with me. We ventured away from pride territory, where prey was scarcer. But at least we didn't have to pay with blood to get it.

"About a week later, we heard talk of a massive brawl between the two prides. We returned to discover our pride destroyed. However, they were not the only ones. The other pride had been almost entirely wiped out as well. There were only two of their members who were still breathing, and only one of ours. We tried to help them, gave them food and water. One was beyond help. Another- a lioness from our pride- survived, but with a maimed paw, an ear rent to scraps, a tooth lost, and plenty of cuts that were certain to leave scars. The third also survived, though he sustained quite a bit of blood loss.

"After the night had passed, my brother and I realized that there might be survivors at the central homes of the two prides. Upon checking ours, I discovered my cousin, a very young cub, determinedly waiting for her father to return from the battle."

"Macheo," Hodari interrupted.

"Yes, Macheo. We could not leave her behind. I carried her while my brother led the way to the other pride's settlement. He knew where it is because he, being older than I, had been involved in the raids. There, we found a lion, left behind to guard. He promptly struck at my brother, tearing a wound that stretched from his neck to his foreleg. I was ready to attack back, but my brother informed the lion of what had happened. The shock took all the fight out of him. While he tried to absorb this news, we searched the area and discovered two cubs. We asked them their names and found out they they were brother and sister. We could not just leave them there, so we brought them with us as well."

"What happened to your brother?" Hodari had to ask.

"Died." Kingiza's tone made it plain that he was done talking.

"I see," Hodari murmured, feeling slightly awkward. His eyes wandered over to Macheo, Ajali, and Nurisha, who were playing with Lubaya, Kimbilia, Chekesha, and even evasive little Jembaba. They belong here, he thought, grateful that Kumbufu had given him the idea of inviting Kingiza and the cubs into the pride. As he watched, Nurisha flattened Ajali with a smooth pounce, and the small cub's voice rose up in a cry of protest. He smiled.

"They're good cubs," Kingiza remarked. He, too, was observing the young ones play.

"Yes. Why did you take those three in?"

"What kind of question is that? They were cubs. They had no one to turn to," Kingiza replied.

Hodari inclined his head, admiring Kingiza's compassion. The sun was starting the set, bleeding hues of red and orange onto the surrounding sky. The pride members would be returning from their hunts and patrols, Hodari knew. He sat next to Kingiza, neither of them speaking, until he saw Nguruma, Machungwa, and Askari climbing the slope.

"How did it go?" he called to them.

Askari was the one who answered him. "Convinced a pair of Cape dogs not to enter our territory. No fight, it was all good."

"They were lookin' for one, though," Nguruma put in. "Good thing it didn't come to that. We have enough of their kind around here already."

Hodari nodded in agreement. "Where are Elewa and Ushidi?"

"I don't know," Askari responded. "We didn't see them."

Just then, Hodari sighted the lionesses approaching the hill, dragging something large. He left Kingiza in order to help them, sinking his teeth into a haunch. He could tell by the flavor that it was kudu, and the antlers pointed to a male. Without saying a word, he helped the lionesses haul it up the slope. It was then that he saw Badilifu clutching a rat in her jaws, and that Fahari had another dangling from her mouth by the tail. He stared at Badilifu searchingly, and the lioness dropped her prey. "I decided to go grab some rats while the others finished off that kudu. Fahari agreed to come with me. We were successful, weren't we?"

Hodari did not answer. ''No point in encouraging spontaneous behavior. ''He tore off a lump of kudu and brought it to Kingiza.

"Sharing a meal with the king? Wow, I'm honored. And you know, you could say something nice to those girls. What's wrong with 'Hey, nice job, now we can eat!'"

"I don't like talking much."

"Why?"

"No reason," Hodari replied, taking a bite of meat. Kingiza did the same, but before taking a second mouthful he hesitated.

"Hey, Ho- King Hodari, can I go eat with the cubs? I always have," Kingiza told him.

"I understand. Go ahead," Hodari assured him, ripping the meat in half with his teeth. Kingiza took his portion and brought it to the cubs. Hodari watched for a moment, then went ahead and brought his part of the meat over, too.

"Hello, Chekesha," he greeted his daughter as she dug into the kudu he had brought.

"Hi, Father! How's being king?" Chekesha inquired.

"Good," Hodari answered. "How's being a cub?"

"Fun! Thank you for bringing Ajali, Nurisha, and Macheo here, Father! They're all so much fun!" Hearing her, the cubs in question raised their heads and smiled. So did Kingiza.

The next day, Hodari roused Kingiza with a sharp prod to the shoulder. The fulvous lion muttered sleepily, and with a sigh Hodari gave him another nudge with his forepaw. This had the effect of bringing Kingiza to his paws, though he continued to blink his brass-colored eyes tiredly.

"Time to patrol," Hodari announced.

"Patrol?" Kingiza's gaze was suddenly alight with curiosity.

"Yes, patrol. We walk around the territory. Today, I'm coming along," Hodari explained. He had decided to attend the day's patrol, to see how Kingiza would fare.

"Great, I'm in. Who else is coming?"

"Machungwa and Askari are coming with us. Ushidi, Elewa, and Nguruma are going on a seperate patrol through the interior of the territory."

Kingiza stood and followed Hodari down the slope. Machungwa was, as ordered to, waiting for them, Askari at his side. Askari shouted a greeting, which Kingiza returned politely. "Ready?" Hodari asked. Three nods. "Good, let's go." He led the way west through the Kavu Sana Plains, heading towards the Imeatuka Desert. As the sandy region grew visible, Askari spoke for Kingiza's benefit. "That's the Imeatuka Desert. We don't often patrol there."

"Thanks, um-"

"I'm Askari. I already know your name- Kingiza, right?"

"Yeah," Kingiza responded.

They continued in silence for some time. Occasionally Kingiza would break it with a question about the territory, but for the most part it was quiet. Then, as they turned and began walking along the edge of the Imeatuka Desert, Kingiza froze. "Stop," he ordered in a tone so intense that Hodari found himself obeying. Machungwa and Askari did the same.

"What it is?" Machungwa demanded, hazel green eyes searching their surroundings, looking for an adversary to fight. Hodari glanced around, but saw nothing. Kingiza must have spotted something, though. The fulvous lion was standing rigidly, claws protracted and digging into the hard ground. Suddenly, in one abrupt motion, Kingiza launched himself in front of Askari, putting his forepaws together. In the same instant, there was a flash of light yellowish brown scales, and Hodari saw a pair of jaws unhinge to reveal two hooked fangs set into a pale pinkish mouth, unnaturally wide. Then it was gone, buried beneath Kingiza's paws.

"What . . ." Hodari began, momentarily unable to form a coherent sentence.

"Puff adder," Kingiza replied, breathing heavily. "It's dead now."

"How did you know it was there?" Machungwa asked.

"I heard it hiss. Just barely," Kingiza informed them.

"Good thing you did!" Askari declared, shaking his mane. "I hate snakes."

"They aren't all bad," Kingiza responded defensively. "Macheo made friends with a snake once, when she was young."

Askari's starlike bluish eyes widened in surprise. "Really? How strange."

Kingiza appeared to take offense at this remark, but held his tongue. The rest of the patrol went smoothly, without any trouble along the way. Hodari kept thinking of the way Kingiza had killed the snake. The image kept returning to his mind, difficult to shake away. ''Keen hearing. Good reflexes. ''Hodari suddenly realized that he had been keeping a list at the back of his mind.

Back with the pride, Hodari sat in the darkness of his den, unable to sleep. He had far too much that he needed to think about.

Chapter 7: Eventide Exploit
Ajali lunged at Macheo, his large paws colliding with her round shoulder. Macheo tumbled onto the ground, but made sure to wrap her forepaws around Ajali's neck so that the pale tawny cub followed her. With an umph sound that was muffled by Macheo's thick fur, Ajali struggled to get free. Macheo refused to release him, tightening her grip until Ajali gave up and demanded that she let him go. Macheo complied, smiling, as a sulky expression spread over Ajali's face.

"I sure got you, Ajali!" Macheo teased.

"Well, I almost beat you," Ajali protested.

"You did not!"

"Did too!"

"Hello there, you two!" Macheo turned to see Lubaya walking over, her shiny yellow-golden fur looking as though it had been recently groomed.

"Hi," Macheo replied. "Where's Kimbilia?"

"Mom is still cleaning him up! He slipped and fell in the mud earlier today. You should have seen him- clots of mud caked onto his fur, a weed tangled into his mane. Hilarious. Chekesha couldn't stop laughing."

Nurisha grinned. "I can imagine." Lubaya nodded and flopped down onto the ground, landing on her back with a soft thump. Curling her forepaws against her chest, she complained of being bored.

"I ran around for a while, but that isn't very fun after you've been doing it for the whole morning. Why don't we go exploring? That would be really fun!"

"Good idea! I still don't know much about what this territory is like," Macheo admitted.

Lubaya snorted. "You probably know more than me. You were living in Towe Gorge for a bit, weren't you?"

"Yeah, we were," Ajali replied, clearly trying to sound impressive. "We lived there for . . . uh . . . a week. Yeah, a week."

"Wait," Nurisha broke in suddenly. "Is exploring really a good idea? Look up."

Following her instructions, Macheo saw that gray clouds were scattered across the sky. She took a breath and realized that she could scent rain on the light wind.

"Huh. Well, it never rains here. This is the Drylands, after all." Lubaya seemed as though she was making that statement against her better judgement.

"I'm in, rain or no rain!" Macheo announced. No way she would be scared off by a few drops of water.

"Right, right, me too!" Ajali added. Macheo saw Nurisha glance at her brother with concern, and she knew what the other cub was thinking. Ajali had a deep fear of thunder, and if a storm began. . . well, they would just have to calm him down with something. Food, maybe.

"Okay, then, I'm coming," Nurisha agreed.

"Coming?" Chekesha's voice inquired. Macheo saw the red-gold lioness approaching them, following closely by Kimbilia.

"We're going exploring!" Macheo announced.

"Excellent! Where to?" Kimbilia demanded, leaning forward.

"Why don't we go to the Poromoko Cliffs?" Lubaya suggested. "I've never seen a cliff before."

"Do you know where the Poromoko Cliffs are?" Nurisha asked. In response, Lubaya flicked her tail towards the east. Macheo saw a line of cliffs dotting the horizon, looking like grayish teeth.

"Those are the Poromoko Cliffs?" she asked.

"Sure are," Kimbilia told her. "Let's get going!"

"Macheo, should we tell Kingiza that we're going?" Nurisha whispered.

"No need. We'll be back soon enough, anyway."

"Uh-oh. I forgot. Mom doesn't want us leaving the Kavu Sana Plains. She won't let us go," Kimbilia sighed.

"Foolish brother," Lubaya teased. "Who said we were going to tell her?"

Kimbilia shook his head vigorously, mane tuft flopping about on his head. "I don't want to lie to her. Besides, she'll catch us. Look, she's keeping an eye on us right now."

The gazes of all the cubs flickered towards the golden-orange lioness, who quickly turned a gleaming yellow eye away from them. "See?" Kimbilia muttered.

"We'll sneak away at evening. A lot of the lions start to fall asleep by then, but we aren't ever tired at that time!" Lubaya's face took on a thoughtful expression, and Macheo could sense that the rest of her plan was taking shape inside of her head. "Yes- it'll work, trust me."

Out of the corner of her eye, Macheo noticed Nurisha looking at Kimbilia, wearing a caring expression. Macheo, like Nurisha, was observant, and she too could see that Kimbilia was quite unhappy with the scheme and deception. Macheo felt bad, but there was nothing that could be done about it.

They'd get to explore the Poromoko Cliffs that night. It would be a great adventure.

As the sky darkened to purple and the clouds turned black, the cubs assembled near a small, dry bush on top of the slope. "All here?" Ajali asked.

"Yes," came the reply.

"Wait, before we start planning and stuff . . . what about my sister?" Chekesha asked hesitantly.

Ugonjwa. Macheo had forgotten that Chekesha preferred to include her sick little sibling in everything. "I'm sorry, Chekesha," Macheo told her. "But I don't think . . ."

"Ugonjwa wouldn't be able to make it. You know it, Chekesha. And for the better. This is a bad idea. I don't think we should do this," Kimbilia declared.

"Fine. You don't have to go. I'm not backing out. This will be so much fun!" Lubaya responded, bouncing about.

"Don't spend all of your energy," Macheo told her, amused.

"Have you ever known me to spend all of my energy? Come on, Macheo," Lubaya teased.

"What are we waiting for?" Macheo asked. Let's go!"

"I'm stayin' behind," Kimbilia insisted.

"Keep Ugonjwa company," Chekesha told him.

"I'll do that."

Fifteen minutes later, the grass around Macheo began to thin out. They must finally be exiting the Kavu Sana Plains! At long last, she thought. Fortunately, no one had stopped them. The only animal they had encountered was an overweight hare, and Lubaya had shaken him off with a quick excuse.

"So, how long will it take us to reach the Poromoko Cliffs?" Macheo asked.

"Oh, not too long," answered Lubaya.

The trekked onward, Lubaya leading the way, Nurisha at her side. Macheo stayed behind with Ajali. "Careful," Nurisha cautioned, her eyes scanning the land ahead. Observant as ever. "The ground looks like it gets bumpy." As they progressed forward, Macheo saw that Nurisha had been right. To make things even worse, Macheo felt something cold and wet plunk down on her nose. She shook off the droplet, but more came falling down, soaking into her fur and turning it deep brown.

Ajali yelped in surprise as a particularly fat globule splashed his forehead, leaving a dark spot. "Lubaya, you okay?" Nurisha asked suddenly. Looking closely, Macheo could see that the glossy-coated cub seemed rather uncomfortable.

"Fine. I've never actually seen rain before, to be honest." Lubaya shuddered. "It's . . . colder . . . than I thought it would be."

"Why don't I lead the way? I can see the Poromoko Cliffs," Macheo suggested, as Nurisha moved back to help Lubaya along.

"That would be great," Lubaya replied.

Macheo stepped forward, keeping her eyes on the dark outline of the Poromoko Cliffs up ahead. Not much longer. But they had better move quickly. If this rain kept up, they might have to turn back if they moved too slowly. Macheo picked up the pace.

The ground turned muddy, and mud squelching between Macheo's toes. Chekesha laughed as a gobbet that Macheo flung off smacked Lubaya in the face by mistake. It seemed that the king's daughter, at least, had retained her good humor in spite of the gloomy weather. Macheo tried not to shiver as a cold wind brushed along her back.

Suddenly, the Poromoko Cliffs seemed to materialize out of nowhere- right in front of them! The cubs took up a cheer, and Macheo felt a thrill of excitement. At last!

"So, uh, how do we get up?" Ajali inquired.

"We climb, silly," Chekesha replied.

"Yeah, I knew that, I just mean . . ."

"Where are the ledges? Trails? Pawholds?" Macheo asked.

"They're there," Nurisha answered. "Difficult to spot, but I can see them."

"Let's get started, then!" Lubaya exclaimed. She moved past Macheo and began hauling herself up, using thin crevices. Macheo followed, then Chekesha. Macheo glanced down from the ledge she had perched upon and saw Nurisha murmuring something to Ajali as the small cub slowly climbed. Nurisha then took up the rear.

Climbing was a strenuous activity, Macheo came to discover. Her muscles were soon howling with protest with every move that she made. The drizzle had evolved into a thunderstorm, with large booms of sound and blinding flashes of light. But unlike Ajali, who Macheo could occasionally hear whimpering, she thought that the storm was interesting. Awesome, in fact, with the dazzling light and the deep sounds.

The all paused to rest on a jutting precipice. Nurisha looked over the edge and stepped back quickly. "High?" Macheo asked, shouldering past Lubaya and Ajali so that she could see for herself. Wow, they were high. It was one of the most amazing things she had ever seen.

"It's less steep from here," Lubaya declared, peering up the cliffside- which turned into more of a mountainside the farther it went upward- with narrowed saffron eyes.

"Great, let's go!" Macheo sprung forward, but she slipped on scree, and, paws flailing, tumbled back to the ledge. But her momentum carried her farther along it, and she abruptly found herself slipping, claws scrabbling uselessly, teeth bumping against stone. Then the rock dropped away, and there was nothing, nothing supporting her, nothing stopping her from plummeting to what would certainly be a painful death. Macheo's jaws parted in an involuntary cry, but unexpectedly there was a great tug from the back of her neck and she found herself suspended, paws hanging down, head drooping. There was a huge yanking sensation, and then she felt hard, solid ground beneath her, slippery with rain and icy cold but solid nonetheless.

"Macheo!" Nurisha's voice cried out. "Are you okay?"

"I- I'm fine . . . who . . ."

"Ajali and I pulled you up. Just in time, too. You were about to go off of the edge," Nurisha informed her. Macheo didn't hesitate to relax against Nurisha, letting the other cub's presence calm her down.

"Asante, Nurisha. Asante, Ajali. I thought I was dead for sure."

"Welcome," Ajali responded. Nurisha said nothing, but she smiled gently.

"Do you want to go back?" Chekesha asked.

"No, let's go ahead," Macheo encouraged. "I'll be more careful."

"Good," Lubaya told her. "I want to reach the top!"

"And I'd rather no one fall before we do," Chekesha added.

- - -

"Darahani, have you seen Lubaya?" Darahani met the gaze of Magharibi as she approached, and she felt a pang of worry.

"No. No I have not. Nor have I seen Chekesha, Ajali, Nurisha, or Macheo," she responded.

"Don't be too quick to fret, Darahani. They're likely just out playing," Magharibi assured her. Always the optimist. Darahani could not share her positiveness. The cubs weren't usually out this late. But maybe Magharibi was right. Perhaps they were playing in the rain, never having seen it before. Nevertheless, she would have to check the area.

Just then, a round-bellied animal with long ears came bounding up to them. A hare, of course, a member of Sikiza's drove. "Hello," Darahani greeted him politely.

"Hey there. Have you seen some cubs out playing, by any chance? It's their bedtime," Magharibi told him, sounding fairly curious but not overly worried. Magharibi had never been too much of a stickler for bedtimes.

"Mm, yes. As a matter of fact, I did. Five of them, I believe," the hare replied. Darahani was touched with relief.

"Where were they?" Magharibi asked.

"Let's see- they were walking in the direction of Poromoko Cliffs, I believe."

"Poromoko Cliffs? Might they have gone off on an adventure?" Darahani asked Magharibi.

"Maybe. I'll go look for them," Magharibi answered.

"Look for whom?" a baritone voice inquired. Darahani noticed Kingiza, the new pride member with fulvous fur, sitting near them.

"Lubaya, Chekesha, and your three, um, cousins," Darahani told him.

"Macheo's the only one who is my cousin. Anyway, mind if I come along with you? If those five have gotten into trouble, I'd like to be there to help."

"Why not? There more, the better," Magharibi agreed. "But I'm sure that they're okay."

- - -

The journey was growing more and more miserable, but there was no way that Macheo would back out now. ''Hmm. Ajali might, though, ''she thought, watching him stumble along. He sniffed once, and Macheo noticed that his light yellow-green eyes were brimming with silent, melancholy tears. ''Poor guy. ''She fetched a short sigh, wishing she could turn around and make him feel better, but she didn't want to stop them all. Well, he had Nurisha with him, at least.

''The top has to be close. It has to be. ''Macheo certainly hoped so. It had been a very interesting trip, but the fun was starting to fade away. Another roll of thunder echoed through the cliffs, louder than any other the others. Seconds later, there was a blinding flash and a brilliant streak of lightning shot across the sky, darting from one cloud to another.

Macheo heard another grumble, hardly a moment later. ''What a powerful storm. ''She continued trudging along, but without warning her legs gave out. She'd been pushing herself harder than she had thought. Oops. Just as she was about to say it, Nurisha called out, "Can we stop and rest for a while?"

They all consented, and Macheo scouted out a wide shelf of stone on which they could all fit. She curled up into a ball, trying to stay warm. The rain pelted her coat, soaking her to the bone. She closed her eyes and put her paws over her ears to block out the thunder, trying to relax. She was so ''cold. . .''

''Boom. ''Macheo's head shot up, her eyes moving wildly- up, down, left right. She felt a heaviness in her limbs and realized with a jolt of surprise that she had fallen asleep. A particularly deafening clap of thunder had awoken her.

Turning her eyes to the other cubs, she noticed that they were all asleep, as well. They must have all been more tired than she had observed. She was about to rouse them when she heard a voice call her name. Kingiza's voice. There was no mistaking it.

"Kingiza?" she shouted in response, her voice whipped away by the wind. Rain lashed at her face, and she narrowed her eyes. "Kingiza!"

"Macheo!" The voice was closer this time. "Are you okay?"

"Yes! Fine!" Macheo called.

"Macheo?" This time it was Nurisha's voice. She and Ajali were sitting up, though Chekesha and Lubaya were still asleep. "What is it?"

"Kingiza is here!" Macheo explained. "Where are you, Kingiza?" she asked at the top of her lungs.

"Not far! I'm climbing up! Stay right where you are," Kingiza ordered. "I have Magharibi with me, too. We're going to take you home." Macheo waited impatiently, flexing her claws, until Kingiza's big orange-brown paw appeared at the edge of the overhang where the cubs were.

The sturdy lion pulled himself up with ease. Macheo was impressed; it had taken a long time for her to scramble up with the help of the others. "Macheo!" Kingiza cried. "Nurisha! Ajali! What were you thinking!" He roared angrily, the sound resonating around each of the cliffs.

"Step aside, Kingiza! I need to come up, too." Macheo recognized Magharibi's voice.

"Not enough room. I'll give you your daughter," Kingiza answered. He took Lubaya by the scruff, and the young lioness made a sleepy sound, paws rubbing at her eyes. It looked as though Kingiza were dropping her over the ledge, but Macheo knew that he was just handing her down to her mother. Kingiza then stepped over to Chekesha and gave her to Magharibi as well.

He turned to face Nurisha, Ajali, and Macheo. "On my back, Macheo, Nurisha. I'll carry Ajali." None of them argued. None of them said a word, in fact, as Kingiza took Ajali by the scruff of his neck. Macheo clambered onto Kingiza's back, paws wrapping around his well-muscled shoulders. Nurisha did the same, hugging Macheo from behind.

Kingiza made his way down from the stone shelf with evident caution, making sure not to upset Nurisha and Macheo. Seeing Magharibi's friendly face was a relief to Macheo, but nothing could compare to Kingiza being here.

Macheo found herself starting to drift off again, but she forced herself to stay awake. Kingiza followed Magharibi and they hiked down the crags, precipices, and peaks.

There was a sudden rumbling in the ground. Kingiza and Magharibi both halted, glancing around. The latter spoke is a hushed tone. "What was that?"

"Thunder?" Nurisha suggested.

"No. That wasn't thunder." This time it was Kingiza talking. However, before Macheo or Nurisha could say another word, there was a tremendous cracking sound. Macheo looked up and felt her ears press against either side of her head. Moving towards them at a frightening speed was a huge black mass of mud and stone. Macheo nearly lost her grip on Kingiza as the lion charged forward with a swiftness born of fear, and she felt a spray of pebbles and drops of mud hitting her back. But it did no good; there was no escaping this monstrous slide of rock and earth that pursued them like a living creature, faster than any lion could flee. Pressure and blackness came from all sides, engulfing her, and Macheo's head emptied of all thoughts save one.

I can't breathe.

Chapter 8: Memories
Nurisha's scream never left her mouth. The next second she was coughing, choking, trying desperately to draw in a breath, but unable to. Then she felt herself flung off of Kingiza's back, landing unevenly onto the ground. Rearing her head, her eyes widened as she took in the scene in front of her. The avalanche roared past, the wind screaming all the while Kingiza was thrashing in the mud, trying to free himself desperately. Ajali was not in his jaws. Before Nurisha could even wonder where her brother was, she realized that the mudslide was carrying Kingiza right toward a steep crag that dropped off into nothingness.

"No!" she yelled, louder than anything she had ever said in her life. But there was nothing that she could do. Before the last strains of her shouted objection had left her mouth, Kingiza was gone.

"Kingiza! Kingiza!" Nurisha stepped forward, but there was nowhere to go. The only thing that she could do was wait until the river of black mud and jagged stone had ceased to flow. Maybe it only took a few seconds, but to Nurisha it felt like an eternity.

She ran alongside the path the mudslide had created, calling Kingiza's name, her brother's name, Macheo's name. About halfway towards the place she had seen Kingiza disappear, she encountered two mud covered forms. ''Ajali. Macheo.''

Desperately, she clawed the mud away from the faces of her brother and sister. They both began hacking and retching, constant streams of waterlogged earth trickling from their mouths. Macheo turned and vomited, saying nothing, but Ajali spoke.

"Kingiza," he gasped.

"Gone . . . he . . . he fell . . . I . . ." ''What did I see? ''She wasn't sure. But she needed to find out. Moving past Macheo and Ajali, she walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down. The sight that greeted her was something that she was instantly certain she would never forget, not as long as she lived.

Kingiza's body, broken, sticking out of the heap of mud and rubble like so many of the dead, twisted logs. His legs stuck out at odd angles, and even from a distance Nurisha could tell that the dark, glistening substance around his head was blood. His eyes were open, those intense brass-colored orbs glazed over and staring at nothing.

No. It was impossible. It could not be. The world began to sway beneath Nurisha's paws. ''No. . . no. . . no. . . no no no no no no. . .''

''What's happening? The thin lioness cub with the pale fur lay huddled against her brother, his warm fur a reassuring presence. Her eyes took in the scene in front of her: the two lions, one larger than the other, talking to the guard. One of the lions, the bigger one, was bleeding from a wound that the guard had inflicted. But they were not fighting anymore. That was good. The pale cub did not like fighting.''

''The guard lion backed away from the other two, shaking his head slowly. The cub wondered what was making him look so scared. She needed to know what had happened, but she could not make herself move. She was still, perfectly unmoving, watching cautiously as the two lions left the guard standing with shock inlaid into all of his features. The strange, unfamiliar lions drew nearer, approaching the two cubs. The female cub felt fear but did not act upon it. She simply waited, pressing harder against her brother's side.''

''"Uzito. Uzito, look. Cubs." One of the lions was speaking. He had fur that was neither orange nor brown, but something in between.''

"I see, kaka. ''What should we do?" the other lion asked.''

Characters(In Order of Appearance)

 * Hodari
 * Darahani
 * Badilifu
 * Ekundu
 * Fahari
 * Ntulivu
 * Kumbufu
 * Magharibi
 * Nguruma
 * Askari
 * Kimeta
 * Sikiza
 * Nyea
 * Madoa
 * Kubali
 * Zoelesha
 * Machungwa
 * Elewa
 * Imara
 * Jike
 * Kingiza
 * Ajali
 * Macheo
 * Nurisha
 * Chekesha
 * Kimbilia
 * Lubaya
 * Uzito
 * Ushidi