couldn’t see any dust. Did it clear? It must have. Baraka cleared his throat, and with an urge of strength, rose up from the ground. Before leaving he touched the bed of grass with a paw and felt something. He knew it wasn’t the connection he shared with a lion he never met; just a lion he’d heard about, a lion that shared the same blood as he. It wasn’t that. It couldn’t have been. It was something else. An almost unbreakable bond between… kings? He was a king, and so was the lion who died here, a lion who had become part of the earth.

            “Mufasa,” the young lion whispered. He felt unworthy to be here, to say the lion’s still well known name. Here was a lion who sacrificed his life to save the life of his only son. And who was he? He was just the son of two Regents with no cubs of his own. What kind of example was he showing to his nephews and niece, to his pride, the animals, and the kingdom he ruled over? That he was nobody? His parents had each other; his grandparents – on both sides of the family – had one another, and his great-grandparents had each other!

            Something had to change in his life; he couldn’t spend the rest of it alone. How could he move forward, find a lioness right for him? There weren’t that many candidates – or lionesses. Was there really no one?

            Baraka bowed his head and stared at Mufasa’s grass grave. He rubbed the blades with a paw. “I promise,” he whispered. “I’ll do what I can. Even you know I’m not perfect.”

            He sniffed and turned away. He had to search for a way out. In the darkness, he began to walk back the way he had come, that is, if he could remember.

            Not even thinking, Baraka allowed his paws to take him to the nearest ledge and work his way up. He found that nearest ledge and began his ascent. It was hard because of the still tiredness in his legs, but he made it.

            At the top, Baraka turned and stared into the gorge. No shivers rolled across his back. He didn’t feel fearful. He felt… How did he feel? The whole thing was hard to describe. All he knew was that it was something. Maybe there was no word to describe it. Maybe he was just simply supposed to feel this way.

            Shaking his head with a small smile he looked up to the sky, which was clear. The stars were out and shining brightly.

            “Thank you, Mufasa,” the young king whispered to the cool air. He breathed it. “Thank you.”

            With a new sense of reality and feeling, Baraka headed towards home. He knew where to go and he ran.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The King of the Pridelands arrived at Pride Rock, and climbed the stone stairs. He stopped at the den and looked around. Everything was quiet. He noticed Etana beside the den. Again, she was sleeping peacefully. He wanted to wake her, to ask how things went with his absence, but ruled against it. He walked into the den, carefully stepping over the lionesses. They were sprawled out on the floor. He made his way into his chambers but didn’t look back. He didn’t have the energy. He was too tired.

            Baraka walked to the wall of his cave and lay down, paws folded in front of him, tail curled at his side. He licked his lips and yawned. Slowly, he put his head down on his paws and closed his eyes. He shivered slightly, but the feeling soon left, only to be replaced with an unusual feeling.

            Whatever the feeling, he was, at long last, able to sleep in peace. And for that, he was deeply thankful.

Chapter 13: Crossroads

Arif was never an early riser. When he was a cub he would wake to watch the sunrise with his late grandfather. Baraka did too. It ran in the family. And Arif wasn’t surprised to know that his children followed the same ‘royal tradition’. They’d said that watching sunrises were happy moments other than playing.

            Arif was concerned. His children – or at least his daughter – weren’t playing with the other cubs. The reason was clear. They missed their mother, if she could even be called that now. Arif shuddered. He knew he shouldn’t think that way, but… “It’s true,” the prince thought.

            Akase certainly wasn’t the mother that she used to be. She had changed and was asking him to change. Arif couldn’t. His parents, brother, friends, and cubs saw no reason, yet she, his wife, had! It didn’t seem possible. And it was the most painful thing he’d ever known. With all this happening he was fully sure that he no longer loved Akase. He admitted that to Rafiki yesterday. And though the words had terrified him he’d been feeling this way for a while. Why shouldn’t he?

            Arif sighed heavily and stared at the lands, now covered in the golden color of the rising sun. This was what he needed: time alone on the promontory. As he looked out, a new thought, or name, entered his mind: Saada.

            Arif closed his eyes. The name had come half unbidden. He wasn’t surprised. He thought about her a lot. And not just recently, nor after he told Rafiki that he thought he was in love with her. It was long before that. And in his soul it was true.

            And the truth scared him. He dreaded telling Saada, and was tempted to every time he saw her. He knew she had feelings for him, but she was afraid, just like him. Arif found this ironic, and he chuckled. Could he and Saada be any more alike or meant for each other? For as long as he could remember he leaned on her for support and she gave it without question or hesitation. She knew him so well. She was there during his bouts of despair, self doubt and self questionings about his future.

            The timing to tell her, or even consider it, was wrong. What would it mean to his ‘relationship’ or ‘acquaintanceship’ with Akase? He knew it wouldn’t mean a thing. Whatever he and Akase were to each other, whatever they once had was gone. What was he supposed to do? He couldn’t wait until Akase came to her senses; there was no chance of that.

            Arif bit his tongue, finding himself at a crossroad that could determine not just his future, but the future of his cubs. He was a shaman, a father, a brother, and a son, but most important, he was a lion who wanted nothing but peace and fulfillment in his life.

            Was that too much to ask?

            He didn’t hear the paw steps. He didn’t turn his eyes away from the lands. He wasn’t sure who was coming and he didn’t care. A moment later, Arif turned to the right, his eyes wide with surprise. The figure beside him was not who he expected at all. It was a lioness with dark gray fur and white markings on her muzzle and legs. Her eyes were also white with gray film. Arif’s mouth fell. What was she doing here sitting beside him? Did she know that he was not Baraka? He was about to speak but she spoke first, answering the question he would’ve asked.

            “It’s alright, Arif. If I’m correct, your brother is in his chambers asleep.”

            The Prince nodded numbly. She was talking to him. Why? Was there a reason?

            “You need help, Arif,” she continued. “And it’s the kind Rafiki cannot give.”

            Arif was overwhelmed. Why in the world was she –

            “It’s still early if my time sense is correct. You speak when you’re ready. I will listen.”

            Arif let out a breath. This was so odd and yet… he felt like he needed to release his own worry and pain. And only she could help. With another exhaled breath, his heart beating fast, he began to talk.

            And Etana, true to her word, listened.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Unlike his brother, who did not have leadership on his shoulders, Baraka had to be an early riser. But today he changed his daily routine. He slept well, better than he had in months. He’d had no bad dreams. It felt good to rest