“I’m afraid, Honey Tree!” she cried into the heavens. “I’d come now, but I’m afraid. I’m a coward, but how I love you!”
She collapsed to the ground, crying. But a few moments later she heard the soft tread of lionesses in the grass. “Oh my God! They are looking for me!”
Quickly, she jumped off and ran into the empty plains, putting some distance between her and the land of her birth.
CHAPTER: THE MISSING HUNTRESS
In the initial confusion after the Battle for Pride Rock, frightened cubs began to come out of hiding and look for their mothers. With a squeal of delight, Isha found Habusu and Lisani alive and unhurt. Other cubs ran to their mothers’ sides to be kissed and fondled in the flush moment of victory.
Rafiki thought briefly of ways to purge Pride Rock of the hyena smell lions found revolting, but he knew that project was very low priority with so many wounds to heal. Not all the wounds were physical, either. Some of them were deep emotional wounds that would take time to heal. Sarabi sat by Taka’s body sobbing to see him laid open who had once lived for her affections. Isha went to the place where Jona and Minshasa had died during the drought. She looked up at the rain, a little bitter, then back at the place where they had lain in death. “I hope wherever you are, you know it’s raining.”
A few hyena stragglers were left on the Pride Lands but they were soon driven back into the elephant graveyard. In that sensitive moment, even the hyenas that sided with the lions wisely retreated across the border to let things cool off.
Finally, as the rain was beginning to taper off, the lions began to regroup and let Rafiki tend their wounds. It was during that informal meeting, as Sarabi was searching for the right thing to say to Elanna, that Sarabi noticed she was missing. Since Elanna was not in her cave on the rock, no one had any idea where she had gone. No one remembered seeing her during the fight. In fact, it was as if she had just vanished.
Since Elanna had left the cave only rarely, it was easy enough to follow her tracks down the side of Pride Rock, but in the wet grass, the scent was lost. Sarabi quickly ran to Simba.
“Son, Elanna can’t be found and no one has seen her since before the fight.”
Simba looked to her sadly. “Form a search party, Mother. May Aiheu guide you.”
Isha pointed out the hyena’s hidden cache of food and a few morsels of food were taken for quick strength. But without rest and heedless of their own wounds, the lionesses headed out and searched the fields, calling Elanna’s name. They knew why Elanna might try to make herself scarce. “Don’t be afraid!” Sarabi shouted. “By Aiheu’s whiskers, we only want to see you!”
After many hours of searching, nothing was found except her scent, which was quickly lost again. Then as the group was heading home in defeat, they turned towards some soft moaning in the grass. Hoping against hope that it would be Elanna they found instead a dying hyena.
CHAPTER: THE WITNESS
She had a head wound from a canine tooth that opened into her brain. Her pain was stronger than her fear, and she looked over the group whimpering in pain. Her eyes stopped on Rafiki. “The pain! Oh gods, the pain! Please help me!”
Sarabi pushed forward, “Now listen to me, you fiz’lo! Where is my sister Elanna?”
The hyena whimpered. “Help me! Please! Please?”
“We will give you something for the pain,” Sarabi said, “But only if you tell us what you know.”
Rafiki pushed past her and held out some herbs. “Take this.”
The lionesses scowled. Isha said, “Those painkillers should go to wounded lionesses!”
“There is enough to go around, Isha. They are no great friends of mine, by and large, but the poor wretch is dying. Let me work.”
“Kind ape, turn me to face the east,” the hyeness stammered. “I want to see Roh’kash.” Rafiki grunted with the exertion, and without help from the lionesses managed to drag her forequarters part of the way around. But Uzuri saw the strain on his face and helped move the hyeness on around. She never questioned his motives on anything.
The hyeness started to fade out. Using a small twig, Rafiki cleared the clot of blood from the head wound. Blood came out, relieving the pressure on her brain. He then held some silvervein in front of her nose. It made her mind work more clearly and she briefly opened her eyes again.
Gently, Rafiki said, “Tell me where Elanna is. It is too late to save you, but you can undo hurt for those who go on living.”
Struggling to focus on his face, the hyeness said murkily, “Taka said he’d kill himself if anything happened to her. We thought we had a plan. Skulk said....” She grimaced with pain. “....bring me his tail to prove he’d done it. We carried her to the woods. Ten of us.”
She started to fuzz out again. He held silvervein in front of her nose and stroked her gently.
“And?”
“She knew what was about to happen. Die with dignity.... Screaming.... Fire everywhere.... The whole world on fire.... Mer’kh toh embas, doh pekhtureh frogam meklu.... De’h mirchet ere.... Immobrek Elanna mes kroth....”
“What’s she saying?” Yolanda asked.
“Did Elanna die??” Sarabi demanded. “Common speech! I don’t speak that gibberish!”
The hyeness drew in a breath and shuddered. “Ten hyenas to kill one lioness.... Ten hyenas to kill....” Her eyes closed.
Sarabi put her paws on her chest and shook her. “Did you kill her?? Tell me, damn you!! DID YOU KILL HER??” Sarabi put her paws on the hyeness’ chest and began to slowly sink them in. Blood sprang from the points. “DID YOU KILL HER??” Her claws moved slowly down, leaving red trenches. “DID YOU KILL HER??” Sarabi’s voice fell to a near whisper and she drew close to the hyeness’ face. “Please? Please tell me?? Oh God, I have to know! Did you kill my sister?”
The hyeness’ eyes opened briefly, though it is doubtful she saw much. Her breath escaped in a long gurgle and her pupils dilated to large black lifeless orbs. A stream of urine ran unchecked down her hind legs, forming a pool beneath her shattered body.
“DID YOU KILL HER??” Sarabi pounded on her with her paws and shrieked, “SPEAK, DAMN YOU!!” She gripped some silvervein and scattered it across the still face in her panic. “IS SHE DEAD?? IS SHE??”
Rafiki gently but forcefully gripped one of Sarabi’s paws. “It’s too late. Don’t make a scene, dear.”
Sarabi stepped back from the dead hyena. Her chin trembled. “She didn’t tell me,” she stammered. “She had nothing to lose. Why wouldn’t she tell me??”
“I think she did,” Rafiki said gently. “I’m sorry.”
“I saw Lannie just yesterday,” Sarabi said, still in shock. “You know what she said? She said, ‘We need to talk.’”
Rafiki put his arms around her neck and held her. “You poor dear!”
“She wanted to talk but I said, ‘I have nothing to say to you.’ My gods, can you believe I said that to my own sister??”
Rafiki began to stroke her cheek and kiss her. “Poor honey tree! Poor dear honey tree!”
She pulled away from him and headed to the top of a small kopje. “Elanna??” she shouted. “ELANNA?? CAN YOU HEAR ME??”
The name echoed off the surrounding hills, mocking her.
Sarabi’s chin trembled again, and she drew in a deep breath. “ELAAAANNAAAAA! PLEEEEASE!! I’M SORRY!! OH GODS, ANSWER MEEEE!!” She roared and pounded the ground with her paw. She roared again, and the other lionesses joined her. Tears began to course down Sarabi’s cheeks, and she stumbled off the kopje, nearly collapsing to the ground. “First my parents, then my husband and my son, now my sister! I’ve tried to live a good life. Why does everything bad happen to me??”