"Ajenti! " Sarafina called. "Come here a moment. Tell Uzuri what you told me last night."
Ajenti grinned. "I had the most wonderful idea while we were out scouting a few days ago." She broke off, coughing raggedly.
"By the way, I don't want you coming with us tonight, " Uzuri said worriedly. "You sound terrible."
"I do? Great! " Ajenti snickered at the look on Uzuri's face. "You see, I've been faking that cough for the past couple of days."
"Why?"
"I'm going to play sick and stay here while you go hunting. I plan to sneak out a couple of hours after high moon."
"Just where do you think you can go?" Uzuri asked. "There's nothing to eat for miles around."
"I'm not going for food, I'm going for help. I'm going to try to get past those idiot hyenas and see Rafiki." Her face sobered. "Maybe he can ask the gods to help us; Taka certainly isn't going to."
Uzuri sucked in a sharp breath at the audacity of this. "Do you know what will happen to you if you get caught? What about the guards? How are you planning to get past them?"
Ajenti said, "Maybe if I’m sick enough, I can get an appointment to see Rafiki. I’m one of the better hunters if I say so myself, and Taka would do well not to lose me."
Taka's sharp voice cut through the air. "If you're quite done chatting, ladies, it's well past sundown. You're late for the hunt."
Uzuri raised her voice. "Yes, Sire." Lowering it to a hoarse whisper, she looked at Ajenti. "Stay here, for now. Pretend you're sick, like you've been doing, but don't leave tonight. We'll discuss this when we get back."
Ajenti bowed her head. "Yes, ma'am."
Uzuri and Sarafina joined the other lionesses who milled about restlessly, anxious to begin the hunt. After checking that everyone was present, she led the group in to Taka's cave. The King lay in the threshold, grooming himself silently as they approached. Clearing her throat, she said, "Milord, we ask for your blessing."
Taka looked up and nodded. "Aiheu provides. Thanks be to Aiheu."
"Aiheu provides, " she responded. She turned to leave, but stopped. "Taka, why do we continue this farce? There is no food to be found! I implore you, let us leave here and find better hunting grounds."
He looked up sharply. "No! We will remain here. This drought will not last much longer. The seer has foretold it."
"If we don't leave soon, the jackals will glut themselves on lion meat! " Uzuri humbled herself before him. "Taka, please reconsider. Do you think your father would have taken the word of a seer over the cries of his people?"
"I said we stay! " he snarled. "You overstep your authority, hunt mistress. I will NOT be compared with my father, Lord rest his soul. Now be off before the prey escapes."
"Yes, Sire, " she said through gritted teeth. She turned and led the group away.
The young of the elephants were the subject of repeated near-suicide attacks by lionesses because there was little else to eat. Finally over the loud protests of the other lionesses, Uzuri had forbidden attempts on them because it was a senseless risk. Once in a while, a great while, an animal would pass through the Pride Lands bound elsewhere and they would catch it. Even when they were lucky enough to bring down a large animal, it proved almost not worth the trouble because the hyenas would move in.
Hyenas were not welcome on the hunt, for they were not as skilled as lions. They chatted too much-something Uzuri could not tolerate. Not that any of the hyenas did much hunting anyhow. One of the major topics of conversation as they gathered for the hunt used to be how to get rid of the hyenas. That was until they began to suspect spies from Shenzi were everywhere, and it was not a foolish suspicion. One of them, Skulk, was particularly quiet on his feet.
Hours later, the moon's pale light painted a small group of elephants. Beesa's pulse raced as she saw a youngster that had strayed too far from the group. Gauging the distance, she decided that she might just be able to cut it off and out of the herd. She began to drool at the thought. Gods, all that meat...the pride might be able to get a halfway decent meal after all. She started to move in, but paused, uncertain, remembering Uzuri's warning. Then the sight of her daughter gnawing on the scrawny carcass of that hideous rat sprang unbidden into her mind. Beesa had been shocked as she realized she could easily count her daughter's ribs simply by looking at her side. That decided her.
"Aiheu provides, " she whispered. Easing forward through the dying grass, she slowly began to stalk the young elephant.
Uzuri had already sighted the elephants a few moments earlier. She began to softly call out orders, shifting the inverted V pattern of their normal sweep for prey to a left oblique, herself at the head with the others staggered out on the opposite side away from the elephants. She turned her head, intending to shift Beesa over into the trail spot, and stared at the empty grass where a lioness should have been. "Beesa?"
Malaika gasped. "Oh gods, Uzuri, look! "
Uzuri's head whipped around, looking over at the spot where Malaika was staring, open-mouthed. "What the...."
There was an elephant cow coming up quietly behind Beesa. Uzuri shouted, "Beesa! Look out! "
Beesa turned around too late, her eyes widening as she saw the elephant charge. She shrieked as the elephant tossed the lioness's four hundred pounds into the air like a rag doll, then brought down her front feet on her with a snapping sound.
"Close ranks! " Uzuri shouted. The lionesses ran to Beesa and formed a circle around her, driving back the elephant. Trumpeting loudly, the cow gathered her calf to her side and joined the herd as it began to lumber away cautiously.
"I'm stove through, " Beesa gasped. "Isha?"
"Beesa?"
"Isha! "
"I'm here, honey! " Isha drew near to listen to her sister's faint words.
"Take care of my Lisani. Promise me."
"I will, honey." Tears flooded Isha's eyes. She nuzzled Beesa and kissed her. "I promise. I love you, Beesa. Pray for me.”
“I will, sis.”
“Oh Beesa, why did you do it?"
"I promised." Her face contorted in pain. "You must bring Lisani something special. Tell her it's from me." She gasped. Blood began to drain from her mouth. "Isha?"
"I'm still here."
Slowly, painfully, Beesa raised her paw and caressed Isha’s cheek. "Save yourself." Her arm fell as her last breath went out in a long sigh.
"Oh gods! " Isha looked at the body with its horrible wounds. “My sister, ” she stammered. “She’s dead. What are we going to tell Lisani?” She glanced from face to face at each of the lionesses. “Why did that elephant have to kill her? Why? Why??”
The lionesses stood silently for a moment, unwilling to take the next step which they knew was necessary. Finally, Uzuri stepped forward. She bent down and gently kissed Beesa's cheek. "Aiheu abamami." A tear rolled her face and splashed silently on Beesa's fur. “Pray for me, Beesa.”
She retreated as Malaika stepped forward, followed by Sarabi. One by one, Beesa's hunt sisters came forward to bid her farewell. Finally, only Isha remained. The lioness stood immobile, looking down at her sister's body. She bent to kiss her cheek, but crumpled, sobbing, beside the still form. "Oh gods! " She tilted her head up and roared at the sky, giving vent to her grief as the other lionesses joined in, the eerie sound echoing back from the cliffs.