tell, followed by answering the questions that would be asked.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

“Sabiha, come on, let’s play. It’s a new day!” Sharif said. He nudged his sister but she pushed him away. “Come on, what’s wrong? Mom’s okay now. She’s not sick anymore.”

            The second born female of Kadiri and Dailia just lowered her head. Sharif groaned and went back to his friends but among the royal cubs, Prince Adisa, who saw the gray male’s gaze, walked up.

            “What’s wrong with Sabiha?”

            Sharif shook his head. “I don’t know. She seemed so happy when Mom came out, and now she’s sulking. Maybe you can talk to her?”

            Adisa pulled a face but it wasn’t one of resignation, but merely one of, ‘I can’t believe you just said that!’ He thought for a second then nodded in agreement. He put a paw on his friend’s shoulder and smiled reassuringly. “I’ll do what I can.” Sharif nodded numbly and joined the others.

            With a sigh and a now unsure expression in his eyes, Adisa came to Sabiha and sat down beside her. They were silent but the laughter of their friends was hard to block out. Adisa rubbed the ground with his paw. He felt nervous and he was only talking to a friend.

            “Sabiha,” he started carefully. “Your mom’s okay, you know. Miss Etana healed her.”

            Sabiha didn’t respond. She turned away and shut her eyes.

            Adisa tried something else. “My brother and sister are playing with yours. Why don’t we join them?”

            No response.

            The young prince thought up of another way to cheer her up. After a minute, he chuckled. “Have you noticed how your aunt has been acting? I thought adults were supposed to be mature and not act like cubs. I’m surprised my grandma didn’t give her a bath! She has dirty fur.”

            Even though she was in a usually and unexplainable bad mood, Sabiha smiled and slowly faced him. Adisa noticed. “Adults are supposed to be mature,” Sabiha said softly. “And I don’t think Princess Kiara would like bathing her. Dad says Aunt Hasira has been known for an unclean coat. It’d take your grandma weeks to clean her tongue.”

            “It’s nice to see you smile.”

            She eyed him. “You make jokes, it’s hard not to.”

            “At least I got some happy expression from you.”

            “My brother asked you to talk to me, didn’t he?”

            “Yes, and I’m not leaving until you’re feeling better.”

            Sabiha lowered her head. “Then you’ll be here a while.”

            Adisa stared ahead. “It’s okay. I can wait.”

            “For the whole day,” Sabiha asked.

            He met her gaze and carefully moved closer. “If that’s what it takes.”

            “You’re crazy.”

            “And you’re my friend. It goes both ways.”

            They stayed together and talked while their siblings watched from a distance.

            Dhani and Njozi looked at each other while Adabu and Sharif exchanged glances. Neither cub spoke; they weren’t sure what to say. A moment later, the Princess and her companion left their brothers, needing to be alone. The males didn’t mind. They needed the solitude too.

Their lioness watcher saw the cubs separate. She wondered what was wrong. She had never seen them not play. She grew worried and wondered if they were ill. She looked to the oldest Prince. Adabu saw the look even though he and Sharif were a few feet away. He gave her a nod of reassurance. The lioness returned the gesture and put her head back down to rest.

            Adabu looked at Sharif. “You were worried for your mother weren’t you?”

            Sharif gave him a look. “Of course I was! If it had been your mother, wouldn’t you –”

            “Yes, I would, but what I don’t understand is how you can be so calm, how you were so calm. She…” He paused and said in a low whisper, “She would’ve died.”

            “I know and I was worried about that,” Sharif admitted. “No one wants to lose a parent so early in life. It’s unthinkable but with Mom…” He bowed his head. “The sad thing is, it can happen and when it does, life is hardly ever the same.”

            “No, it’s not. Sharif… I have to ask, why did you keep yourself calm?”

            There was a pause. “I don’t know,” Sharif said. “I mean… I noticed that Dad was really upset and since I am his son, the only son and the oldest one of my sisters, I felt responsible to keeping everyone together. I’d do it again too.”

            Adabu stared at his friend, amazed at the words but Sharif was right. If his own parents, or one of them, had fallen ill, leaving the other parent in distress, Adabu would do all he could to keep his siblings in good spirits and protect them. “Yes,” he said after a silence. “I know what you mean. We’re the oldest of our siblings and we each have a responsibility.”

            Sharif smiled. “It’s good you understand.”

            Adabu chuckled. “That’s why we’re friends, you and I. We’re alike.”

            Sharif nodded.

On the other side of where they stood, their sisters were also in conversation.

            “You okay?” Njozi asked carefully but Dhani didn’t flinch, nor did her red eyes flash. She was calm, and like her brother and sister, she was worried and relieved.

            “Yeah,” she said softly. “I was just thinking of Mom. I’m glad she’s alright but there’s something that’s confusing me.”

            “What’s that?”

            “That lioness, Etana,” Dhani started. Njozi nodded. “Somehow… I believed she could help, even before your uncle told the pride. I saw her go inside the den.”

            Njozi sat down. She pondered. “Dhani… I know how you feel.”

            “How,” Dhani asked, curiously.

            The Princess chuckled. “I can’t really explain it. I just… I felt that Etana could help your mom. I looked at her too but before she went in. I saw the look on her face, I saw how she sat. There was just something that told me she would be able to help.”

            Dhani was quiet for a few minutes, shuffling the grass in front of her with a paw. Her ears flickered and she smirked. “Isn’t it a little weird that you and I somehow know in our hearts that Etana is probably more than what she seems? Just a day ago my mom could’ve probably died from a fever. That very day Etana says she can help and the next day, today, my mom walks out of the cave brand new again.”

            Njozi shook her head. “No,