her.

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Rafiki had never been one to be woken out of a sound sleep. But the sounds, as soft as they were, to the clawing at the base of the tree, the old mandrill slowly rose from his grass bed. He stretched his arms out and yawned. With a soft grunt he walked over to the opening of his home and looked down. In the darkness he could barely make out the form of a large creature at the base. Squinting harder he noticed the figure to be that of a lion.

            “Who goes dere?” he called out. The voice that answered surprised him but this was someone he knew well. Who was he to turn his successor away? When he beckoned him up Rafiki noticed a shadow in Arif’s eyes and it wasn’t from the darkness. The lion looked at him, his mouth shaking.

            “Arif… what’s wrong?” the mandrill questioned quietly.

            “Rafiki…” Arif said. His voice was barely above a whisper. “Can I stay here for awhile? Please? I can’t be near home right now, as much as my cubs need me.”

            Normally there would have been a question and answer session, but Rafiki noticed the tone of sadness and break in the lion’s voice. He put a hand kindly on Arif’s shoulder. There would be time for questions later. With a sympathetic smile Rafiki led him to a large corner in the main part of the tree just a few steps away from the wall. He watched as Arif lied down on his stomach, his head resting on his paws.

            As Rafiki stepped away and walked toward the opening again he heard Arif mumble in his sleep. He turned his head to see the lion’s left hind leg twitching.

            “Akase…” Arif breathed. “I-I’m so sorry… Please… my love…”

            Rafiki continued to look as the Prince of the Pridelands, brother to the King, whimpered like a saddened cub. He bowed his head and shook but not from cold. There was no cold air. This coldness came from another place. Rafiki wished he could relieve the pain Arif seemed to be in. He looked back out to the lands and then raised his head upward, seeing the stars.

            “Lord, help dis poor lion through his sufferings. He cannot do it alone. He needs help. Give him de help he needs. He’s been a good boy. He has cubs to provide for. Do not abandon him. He needs you too.”

            After he said this prayer, the mandrill walked back to his own sleeping spot on the other side of the wall. He fell into sleep right away but didn’t dream as he usually did. Instead he forced his mind, body and spirit to hope for Arif’s well being.

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The night carried on. Inside the den, many of the pride members were restless. It was as though many of them felt the atmosphere from the earlier hours. A few lionesses tossed and turned while others were dead to the world around them, but if one looked closely enough, they could see that those who were still, were in fact shaking. The guardians were among their pride sisters. The King was not in his chambers. He was gone, as were the Regents, but to the lions and lionesses it was no surprise. They understood and knew the reason. Baraka, Kovu and Kiara were suffering from this far more. Baraka was Arif’s brother and Kovu and Kiara were parents to both.

            The whole den was utterly silent.

            Kadiri, his mate, their cubs, along with Arif and Akase’s cubs, were in deep sleep, all except one, Njozi, who was sleeping a small distance from her brothers and caretakers. No one heard her soft cries or mutters as she slept.

            A moment later, however, one of the pride lionesses awoke. Her ears twitched and she lifted her head. Her ears suddenly perked. She heard the mutters and cries but she strained to listen harder, closer. She turned her head, looking all around until her eyes fell upon the cub princess. A worried gaze came over her and she rose, carefully making her way to the cub. She gently touched her with a paw.

            “Njozi… Njozi, wake up,” the lioness said quietly.

            The cub was jolted out of her sleep. Her head snapped up as she gasped for breath. Her eyes were wide and looked almost frightened. She managed to look up at the lioness. She was stunned.

            “S-Saada?” the cub asked, also quietly.

            “Come with me out to the ledge. We can talk there.”

            With that, Saada turned, leaving Njozi with a confused stare but she got up and followed just the same. She needed someone to talk to, someone who would, hopefully, understand. She didn’t want to wake her brothers, as tired as they were about everything that went on earlier. They walked out from the back entrance to the ledge and sat down, Saada staring at the sky, Njozi looking down at her paws, feeling embarrassed that she had woken the lioness.

            “I’m sorry, Saada,” she said at last.

            “For what,” Saada said, looking down at her. Njozi still had her head down. Saada smiled gently and warmly. “It’s alright. You were dreaming.” She saw the cub flinch and she reached out, wrapping a paw around Njozi’s body. The princess didn’t pull away. She welcomed it.

            They were silent for a while until Njozi, pawing the ground in front of her idly, looked upward. “Thank you,” she said softly, “for waking me up. I… My dream was suffocating…” She paused then asked, “Aren’t you going to ask me what it was about?”

            Saada shook her head. “No. You can tell your parents when you’re ready. I only did what a good cub sitter would do. I’ve made sure you’re alright.” There was a tone of hardness in her voice.

            Njozi nodded numbly. “Um… I could tell my father this… My mother, I don’t think so. She… She’s not like Father. I wish she were.” Another pause, then, “Saada, please, can I tell you my dream?”

            The lioness looked down at her. Njozi looked back up at her. There was no slight disgust, no hint of anger or boredom. Saada smiled again. “Yes, you can. But don’t rush, take your time, okay?”

            With another nod and a sigh, the princess began to tell Saada everything about her dream. As she spoke, her lips quivered and she had to stop a few times. During those stops she had cried and Saada held out a foreleg and Njozi buried her face in it. Afterwards, Njozi continued, her face grim by the time she was through. Saada sat there speechless. Njozi turned away, her body shaking, her shoulders tensing and trembling.

            A tear slid down the cub’s face. “Go ahead, say it, Saada,” she said, her voice short. She sobbed.

            “Say what?” Saada had no idea what the cub meant.

            “Say it was just a dream; that nothing will happen. Go ahead! It’s what my mom would say.”

            “Does she know of your dreams?”

            Njozi shook her head. “No. I haven’t told her… I can’t.” She shut her eyes. “I’m afraid of what she’ll say…” Her emotions rose again.

            “What?” Saada asked gently. She noticed how much Njozi was struggling to keep control. Saada shivered. Akase… your daughter is pain and you’re not here! “I’m sure she wouldn’t-”

            “Yes, she would! I’m just like him, just like Dad. I can feel it and… I like it. It means I have a purpose, right?”

            Saada wasn’t sure what to say so she nodded. She smiled a bit. Njozi and Arif were alike. Arif was the youngest of his parents’ litter as was Njozi. Arif was and is a shaman, but what would that make Njozi,