him."

"But what's he done?"

"My dear Scar, he didn't do anything," said Immue mildly. Then her voice hardened and she became darkly menacing, "His mistake was being born."

      ***

Mufasa lay impatiently swishing his tail. Akase had tried to get him to lie with her but he had refused as he was impatiently waiting for Scar to arrive. Ahadi wandered out of the cave behind them, in the afternoon heat it was getting unbearably hot and the sun had long since passed leaving the flat of the promontory in deep shadow. He flopped down on the heated rock by Akase and leaned over and licked her cheek.

"Now don't start that." She protested, only half seriously, "Immue is bringing Scar over to see Mufasa."

"Oh good," said Ahadi brightly, "She can take Mufasa out for a while. Then we can be alone together."

"Ahadi! Whatever is the king thinking? And what would we do together?"

"Anything you want. Anything at all." Ahadi smiled and then licked her again.

"Really Ahadi! Anyone would think I was in season or something."

"Akase, you're always 'or something' to me."

Akase drew her head back suddenly and looked at her mate through half closed eyes. She lifted a forepaw and batted it gently towards Ahadi who lunged his head forwards and caught her paw gently between his teeth and licked it before releasing it. Akase stared hard at him. It had not hurt at all...

"Hey Mufasa, I'm here!" It was Scar's voice. It was shortly followed by a bouncy cub with a springing tail with the bulk of a lioness walking behind.

"Well, here we are. Yes, yes, yes. Oh you two do look good together. I know how pleased you must be to have a lion like that all to yourself my dear."

"Immue, now don't get any ideas."

"Ideas? Me Akase? No, no, no, it's King Ahadi there who's getting the ideas. Isn't that right my dear?"

"Well, Immue I'd like a chance to get more ideas, you know," said Ahadi hopefully.

"Scar? D'ya wanna go down the water hole? It's just so hot!"

"Hey you two, I'll take you only if your Mum and Dad think it's Ok," said Immue. Mufasa called back to her over his shoulder as he turned to run off the rock.

"Aww, come on Immue! Hey Scar, come on let's go!" Before anyone could say anything Mufasa ran off down the rocks closely followed by Scar. The pair bounding away full of youthful energy.

"Is it all right if they go? I'll bring them back safe and sound. I promise."

"I guess we don't have much choice, do we Ahadi." But Ahadi was not really listening as he started to rub his mane up against Akase's shoulders. Akase smiled in a way that said "I guess he doesn't mind." Immue smiled too and turned to leave, pausing only to call back as she dropped down from the expanse of the rock,

"I'll bring Mufasa back well before sunset. Yes, yes, yes."

Closing his eyes Ahadi said, "Has she gone?" close into Akase's ear as he licked its rim."Yes dear, she's gone and she taken Mufasa with her. We're all alone."

"Are you tired?" Ahadi asked.

"No?" Replied Akase puzzledly.

"Good, let's go in the cave then."

"Ahadi! What are you suggesting?" But Ahadi had already got up and was close to the cave mouth, he looked back and smiled mischievously at Akase who smiled in return. She knew exactly what he was suggesting and she didn't need to be asked again.

As the afternoon wore on the air cooled slowly but the cave on Priderock remained hot and stuffy. Ahadi decided that his son's idea about cooling off in the water hole sounded very attractive. Akase, who lay contentedly on the cave floor was not too sure, but when she saw her mate bouncing around as if he were their son she decided to stay at his side and join him in an afternoon splash in the muddy water.

"What are we? We're just a pair of cubs."

"Cubs? Akase, we're not cubs any more. But just for now I'll pretend I am, just for you. Come on, let's go and show Mufasa what playing's really about." Ahadi looked towards Akase as she got up

awkwardly as if to make out that she was a great-grandmother rather than a new mother. She shook her legs saying:

"Look what you did to me."

"Come on Akase, let's go!"

"Oh Ahadi, wait for me!" But, like his sons before him, he was already gone. Akase ran off after him and caught him on the plain just below Priderock. Together they sprang and ran, looking at each other and laughing together. It was just a few short, breathless and beautiful minutes before they arrived at the water hole.

Scar stood nervously at the edge of the water, looking intently at his mother who was wading in the shallows. Mufasa was nowhere to be seen. Ahadi slowed and stopped as he looked around. Akase sprang up to his side, she had not yet realised Mufasa was missing.

"Hey! My serious king, what's up?" She asked as she noticed Ahadi's concerned gaze. He did not answer, instead he shouted to Immue.

"Immue, where's Mufasa? I can't see him here?"

Immue turned her head sharply as if she had been interrupted.

"Oh, hello Ahadi. He was here just a moment ago, wasn't he Scar?"

Scar did not answer, he drew back in fear, too frightened to say anything.

Ahadi asked again with more strength, "Where is my son Immue?"

"He must have just wandered off for a bit. I'm sure he'll be back soon enough. Yes, yes, yes,"

Ahadi and Akase looked at each other and then at Immue. They saw that a few tiny bubbles were popping up around Immue's immersed forepaws. They wondered why Immue stood so awkwardly and did not move to greet them. It was as if she were standing on something in the water. The terrible truth hit Ahadi as if Immue had struck him a powerful blow. Now nothing on the Pridelands could hold his rage and strength, he roared shatteringly, sending every bird to the sky and every animal dashing for cover. He shot forwards towards Immue who jumped back and turned, just too late to avoid Ahadi's first blow that he had ever delivered in true anger. His fully unsheathed claws raked down her shoulder, opening it over a length of more than ten inches. She was knocked sideways and onto her back by the force of the blow, landing on the water's edge. She splashed out furiously at Ahadi who pounded through the water towards her. Spray flew up over them, covering the little cub Scar who cowered at the edge for a few moments before running over to Akase. But before he could reach the safety of his aunt, she lunged out across the water after Immue who had succeeded in filling Ahadi's eyes with enough mud to enable her to scramble from him as he thrashed out wildly in his rage and fury at anything that moved, even Akase who was caught on the left flank by a set of rear claws.

In all the confusion Immue managed to slip away from the water hole. When Ahadi’s eyes had cleared enough to see, he jumped out of the hole, muddy water running off every part of his coat as he chased her as far as the borders of the Pridelands, over every rock, ridge, log, track, gully and valley never quite catching up with her. When she finally leapt the six foot deep narrow gully that marked the Pridelands north-eastern border Ahadi realised that he had lost her and resigned himself to never seeing her again. After a few moments to catch his breath he sadly followed the trail of Immue's fresh blood back to the water hole, which he finally reached close to sunset. The water had long since settled and

Akase had gone, so had Scar. There was no sign of Mufasa's drowned body, he was sure he would never see him again. Ahadi lay down by the water's edge and for the first time since his mane had come he cried. He had lost his dearest son, and on the eve of his presentation. No one: no lion nor any other animal went close to the water hole that night until moonset. It was King Ahadi's private place.

      ***

All the Pridelands mourned with Ahadi, all except Akase, who once Immue and Ahadi had run off, had the presence of mind to feel around in the mud where Immue had been standing. She felt a soft, still warm furry body and reached down into the water and lifted it out by what she thought must be the scruff. For a few moments it lay lifelessly in her gentle mouth. Then the body gasped and spluttered as Mufasa gulped in life giving air. Akase immediately forgot about Immue and Ahadi and carried the barely living cub back to Priderock. Scar trailed a length or two behind, keeping just out of sight; he feared he might never see his mother again.

      ***

When Ahadi returned to Priderock a little before dawn, the first few of the herds, who had grazed their way across the Pridelands over several days, were beginning to gather for the new king's presentation. Ahadi avoided all of them, he could not bring himself to tell anyone that his son Mufasa was dead. He hoped that they would all simply disappear and leave him alone as a lion and not a king. He kept to the shadows as he climbed up to the cave entrance. For a moment he felt that he could not enter and that all he deserved to do was to slip away and die unseen. His world, and with it the future of the Pridelands, had died there in the shallows of the water hole and Ahadi wished that he could die with it. There was only one