The old, brittle covering of leaves fell away, and he found himself staring at a small remnant of Maraliscus. The soft fronds tickled his palm as he ran them through his fingers gently.
Makedde cocked his head curiously. "What's that you've got there?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just some Maraliscus leaf." He crammed it unceremoniously into the basket. "Leftover herbs; you know."
"Indeed I do." Makedde frowned sternly. "I know you are making a big mistake in going."
"Brother, please! You know this is for the best."
"I know nothing of the sort. What I DO know is that-" he broke off, staring over Rafiki's shoulder. Turning to look, the mandrill saw a questing paw appear at the edge of the baobab's lobby-like center. Small claws which had been only partway retracted now flicked out to their full extent, and a very weary looking lion cub hauled himself up into the tree.
"Taka?? What are you doing here??"
The little cub looked at him curiously. "Uncle Fiki asked me to come back this morning so he could check my eye. Is he still asleep?"
Rafiki felt a thorn pierce his heart. "No! No, Taka. It’s me!" Rafiki walked over and knelt in front of the cub, holding his hand out. Taka sniffed it curiously, then looked up at him, bewildered. “Uncle Fiki?! What’s wrong with your face?”
Rafiki ran a hand over his features tremblingly, then forced a smile to his face. “I’m just getting older. Now, be a big boy and hold still while I look at the cut, okay?”
“Okay.” Taka cocked his head obligingly, but squinted the other eye shut, anticipating pain.
With the lightest of touches, Rafiki gently moved the fur away from the torn eye. The mandrill nodded approvingly, seeing the clean area where Akase's careful tongue had done its job. "Good. No infection in the cut. But I'm afraid my brother was right, it will leave a scar." He clucked sympathetically. "You poor child. This should never have happened to one so young."
Taka smiled up at him, his swollen eyelid making his grin lopsided, and all the more endearing. "It’s OK. It doesn't hurt that bad."
"Oh, now aren't we the big brave lion!" Rafiki again forced a smile to his face. He fought to hold his emotions in check, wondering how Taka couldn’t see the turmoil inside.
Taka peered over his shoulder at the half open basket. "Ooh! Whatcha got? Any jerky?" Without waiting for an answer, he darted past Rafiki and was nosing in the basket before the mandrill could stop him.
"Taka, no! Please don't touch that."
The cub looked at him slowly. "All your stuff's in here, Rafiki. Are you going away?"
Rafiki looked at his brother helplessly. "Yes I am, Taka."
Taka's jaw began to tremble, his eyes growing large and bright. "But you love me! You can't go!"
"Taka, I have to go. It was my fault you heard that stupid prophecy. I must leave before I cause you more pain." He move towards the cub, intending to comfort him, but Taka drew back.
"So you're not going to stay? Even if I want you to?" The tears began to roll down Taka's face in earnest. "Is it happening already? Don't you want to be friends anymore?" He buried his face in his paws, sobbing. "It’s my fault, isn’t it? I made you look old. I didn’t mean, it, Uncle Fiki, I SWEAR!” Taka collapsed to the floor of the baobab, crying hoarsely. “I won’t ask you to tell the future again! I’m SORRY!”
"Oh gods, what am I doing?" Rafiki went to the shaking cub and held him close, stroking his soft fur. "I didn't think you'd want me around after that. Yes, I want to be friends! Oh Taka, you know how much I love you!"
Taka looked up at him, sniffling, both eyes now equally reddened. "R-Really? You really do love me?"
"More than life! Just like you love me!" Rafiki reached up and drew a hand down his seamed features. “This is a mark of my love for you. Never forget that. If I hadn’t fought the evil spirit so hard, I’d still be young. But I did--I fought it tooth and claw! I’d fight a whole pride of evil spirits for my precious little boy!”
The little cub peered into his eyes searchingly for a moment longer, then nodded. Reaching up with a forepaw, he drew it down Rafiki’s face lightly, feeling the wrinkles give under his gentle paws. “It’s not so bad,” he said at length. “You look better than I do, anyway.”
Unable to speak, Rafiki clutched Taka to his chest, rocking him back and forth as he stroked his dark fur.
Makedde paced quietly over and emptied the basket onto the floor. Bending down, he picked up Rafiki's medicine pouch and hung it up on the bole of the tree again. Satisfied, he picked up the basket and tossed it into a corner. "You shouldn't need this anymore."
CHAPTER 34: MODUS OPERANDI
Of all the animals in the Pride Lands, only the lions surpassed the hyenas in their perception of time. The clan watched eagerly as Sister Moon grew pregnant again. This was her sixth litter since the birth of Mufasa and Taka, and they looked forward eagerly to the migrating herds that would soon begin passing through the Pride Lands. One day the scouts returned with a report of Hartebeest grazing only a few minutes away! The hunters chuckled as they sortied forth to the hunt; Great Roh’kash smiled upon them today indeed. Only a few hours later, at highsun, the lookouts spotted the hunting party returning as fast as their legs could carry them. Bolting into the graveyard proper, they were quick to mingle with the large group and lose themselves.
Several guards crowded around curiously. “What happened?”
“Hsssh! Nothing!”
“What is that smell?” One of the lookouts sniffed warily, then recoiled. “My gods, have you been eating lion?”
“None of your business!”
One of the hyenas, Jalkort, had been a little slower than the rest. He skidded down the hill at the entrance to the graveyard and stumbled over a pile of bones. Right behind him came Shaka, the Prince Consort.
“Cripes, you HAVE been eating lion! We’re all going to die!”
In moments, Shaka was on top of him. Jalkort’s ribs creaked as the huge lion rested his weight on the small body. “You killed my wife! You ripped out my heart, and I will rip out yours! I give you a moment to pray to your god.”
Hyenas quickly crowded around, some indignant, all curious. One of them was Amarakh, the ruling Roh’mach.
“You are trespassing on our lands!” she said. “You are holding one of my people!”
“He’s a murderer!” Shaka glared at her, his eyes burning with terrible fury. “He killed my wife in cold blood, and he was on my land! She had two cubs, Amarakh. Two cubs that won’t have a mother coming home tonight! She was alive when they ripped her! Alive!”
She looked at the trembling hyena trapped under the large forepaws. It was a face she knew all too well. “I will investigate it. I know him. He’s a trouble maker anyhow, and you can be sure I will punish him if he’s guilty.”
“IF??” Shaka glared down at his prisoner. “I saw him over her body. Zazu saw the kill.” He drew very close to the anguished face. “You tell her!” he bellowed at Jalkort, the force of his voice flattening the hyena’s ears back against his head. “TELL HER, VERMIN!”
The trapped hyena squealed, “Somebody help me!” He looked into the crowd. His eyes met Fabana’s and fixed pleadingly on her. Her mouth silently formed the words, “Husband! Why??”