Later that day as Taka rested on the tip of the promontory watching the wide savanna below he saw the ungainly approach of Gopa the stork. Gopa landed a great flapping of wings and bowed. “I have your daily report, Sire.”
Taka looked down at Uzuri, who lay sunning herself on a rock below with her cubs nursing peacefully. Tameka lay beside her, clearly with the light in her eyes. “Gopa, where are all these new children coming from? I have cubs practically running out of my ears!”
Gopa bent down and almost whispered, “Who do you THINK brought all those cubs? The stork? Well it certainly wasn’t me.”
Taka looked at him askance. “What the devil are you talking about?”
“Forget it,” Gopa sighed.
CHAPTER: DOUBLE TROUBLE
When Togo and Kombi were first born, they slept most of the time, and they moved around very little. But by the age of three moons they never stopped moving, and everywhere they moved trouble followed close behind.
It must be understood that Uzuri was a strict mother. Around her, the twins were as good as gold--even better. She used to brag about how well-behaved they were to the other lionesses. Most of the time they would listen patiently and nod. There were a few times, however, when their patience ran thin. Times when someone else’s cub would misbehave and Uzuri would look at the mother with a superior attitude and say, “Togo and Kombi would never do a thing like that.”
The love Uzuri felt from her pride sisters was well-earned. No one would dare compromise her happiness by telling her what they thought of Togo and Kombi. At least not aloud.
One day, an outraged Isha was chasing them when Sarafina innocently stepped in the way. Togo and Kombi hid behind her trembling and Isha barely stopped in time to avoid crashing into the three of them.
“What’s wrong here??” Fini demanded. “Isha, remember your low boiling point!”
“Where is the mother of those--PERSONS??”
“I’m her sister. I’ll handle it.”
“Well, you asked for it. These two little hellions....” She bent close to Sarafina’s ear and while Togo and Kombi huddled behind her for protection they strained to hear what she was saying.
“You’re kidding!”
“No, I’m not! I caught them in the act!”
“I’ll take care of them, Isha. It won’t happen again.”
“Well it had BETTER not!”
“I’m sorry,” Togo said, sniffling. “We’ll be good from now on.”
“I’ll give them a good talking to,” Sarafina said.
“I sure hope so. That mother of theirs ought to cuff them more often.”
Kombi began to bawl. “We were just funning! I’m sorry, Isha.”
“Well, OK I guess,” she said, somewhat mollified. Isha could not stand to see cubs cry, even Togo and Kombi.
When Isha walked off, her dignity defended, Sarafina glared at the twins. “What am I going to do with you two??”
Togo and Kombi pleaded with all their charm and hound-dog expressions of remorse for her not to tell Mom.
Sarafina softened a little. “Kombi, don’t you understand that a joke isn’t funny when people get hurt? I like a good joke as much as anyone, but when you love someone you should respect them and try to think about how THEY are going to feel when they find a fully-grown.... Well, you know what I mean.”
“I’m sorry,” Kombi said, tears coming to his eyes.
“And you, Togo. I know you probably didn’t start this, but you went along with it. That’s almost as bad. You love Isha, don’t you?”
“Yes ma’am.” Togo was the shy one and he looked like he wanted to crawl under a rock.
“Do you think what you did was the best way to show it?”
“No ma’am.” He began to wail and huddled up tight against her. “She’s really mad at me, isn’t she?”
“Yes, but she’ll get over it. Look, we’ll forget it this time. But you have been warned.”
For the rest of the day at least, Togo and Kombi were as good as two Nisei, but whenever Kombi had to pass Isha, he’d look at her suspiciously and change direction. By contrast, when Isha awoke from her mid-sun nap, she felt something warm and soft snuggled against her, and she fondled Togo with her paw. Kombi, sitting off a discrete distance, watched uncomfortably. Isha jerked her head ever so slightly and grunted. Then Kombi stirred himself and gamboled over, a relieved smile on his face. He rubbed his small back and tail under her chin and over her strong neck. “I really am sorry. Please don’t stay mad at me.”
“I really should, you know.” She nuzzled Kombi and kissed his cheek. “I hope you learned your lesson.”
Uzuri also stirred from her nap. “Fini, where are the boys?”
“Oh, around and about.”
“That’s not good enough. Nothing must happen to them, Fini. Not just for my sake, but for their father’s sake.”
She stretched and yawned, then quickly began to search Pride Rock for her children. They were not in the small cave where they liked to play. They were not by the cistern. Still, there were several places left where they MIGHT be. Oh if only Zazu were on the job, they would be properly supervised. Zazu loved children though he often had an odd way of showing it. Gopa didn’t really give half a minnow for the children. “Smelly, noisy things,” he would croak with irritation. “They really should be hidden away till they’re old enough to behave themselves.”
And then Sarafina had an odd thought. She knew Togo almost better than he knew himself, and she led Uzuri to Isha’s rock. And there, snuggled to her side, were Togo and Kombi.
Uzuri breathed a relieved sigh. “Look at them, Fini. Isn’t that sweet! They’re just a pair of little angels!”
Sarafina quickly bit her tongue to keep from laughing. “They’re a pair, all right.”
CHAPTER: PEACE AT LAST
The hunt mistress had been having a hard time finding food in the overhunted and parched Pride Lands. There was little to do except to hunt for all kinds of unwholesome creatures that only desperate lions would attempt to choke down. Togo and Kombi were growing drastically emaciated, and Uzuri was even worse off. The only way her twins survived was the generosity of Ugas who would have Adhama pass her an occasional hare. He did not know about his sons yet, but he suspected that she was struggling even harder than she would admit.
Disgusted, she returned empty yet again to her favorite rock, there to wait for one simple pleasure she allowed herself. Every night, Shimbekh would come and talk with her. From Shimbekh, Uzuri learned many stories of the hyenas and even a few phrases in their language. In return, Uzuri taught her about Aiheu and all the stories of the great kings of the past. These brought her comfort in her distress, and of late Shimbekh had looked strangely tormented.
Time passed. One Called Alligator and The Three Monkeys rose above the horizon. The moon sailed like a silent swan to the zenith of the heavens, crested at midmoon, then settled lower in the western sky. And still Shimbekh did not come. Irritated, Uzuri was ready to leave. “She knows we have a standing date.” But it occurred to her that the hyena might be sick.
Shoving through the brush, a look of desolation on her face, Makhpil went to Uzuri and fell before her, sobbing.
“There now, my child! What’s wrong?”
“It’s Shimbekh,” she gasped. “Holy Mother Roh’kash, she jumped into the gorge!”
“Oh no!” Uzuri pulled Makhpil close with a paw. “Oh gods, no! You poor creature!” Tears began to stream down her face.
Togo and Kombi were attracted by the commotion. Miserable, they huddled next to their mother and Makhpil.