quite nice when you get to know him, you know.”

“I’m quite sure…”  Who is that? Is that her? “…He’s nice,  and considerate…” Where is she? “…and noble, and dignified: kingly even.”

“Who are you? Show yourself!” And stop the wildebeest dung about a lion you know nothing about!

It is her: it must be. Where is that voice coming from? Ah, a gulley over there. We are a long way from home….

“Don’t be alarmed. You have nothing to fear from me. No, no, no, nothing to fear at all.”

“Come out in to the open so we can see you.”

If she doesn’t then we might have to fight it out. There’s little clear space here, it’s all narrow between these gullies. Sandy, not easy to grip, can’t get a decent run up. No surprise, it’ll have to be a straight knock down pile up. Not nice at all.

“Here I am dear. Now who are you?”

If I do know you; if I really do know you then you should know me, but do you?

“No, no, don’t answer that.” Strange, that’s the same paw waving Scar does. “Ahah-ha, let me think. Let me think.” And she can’t stand still: circling, trying – no, succeeding to look menacing through that tight smile. “Mmm, now you… I don’t know. I’m not sure at all. Hah-uh, oh dear, dear, dear.”

“Who are you?”

“Ah! Now I… well I, I… you don’t know me do you?”

“No, I don’t, but I’m sure I’ve seen you before.”

“The waterhole perhaps, hmmm?”

“Before then.”

“Oh yes, yes, you should. I know you.”

“Oh yes? And who am I?”

“You have met Rafiki I take it?”

“What’s he got to do with it?”

“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all, no, no…” Get on with it. You’re playing games aren’t you? You know perfectly well who I am. You always have. ”My, my. You’re Sarabi, aren’t you? Yes, yes, yes. And that must mean you… you’re not Naanda are you.”

Was that a statement or a question?

“No, I’m Sarafina.“

“Are you dear? Oh well, we can’t all be perfect. So Sarabi dear, you’re ummm… you’re with Mufasa aren’t you?”

“What? How do you know about that?”

“Huh-huh, oh there’s lots of things I know about you. Lots of things Sarabi, lots of things indeed. Like… mmm, well anyway lots. Yes… yes… are you running away?”

No, no, no. She’s got me doing it!  “No! No I’m not.”

“Hmm, sounds like you are. Looks like you are. There are just the two of you: dead of night. Hmm, there’s no one else, and you are a long way from Pride Rock, aren’t you?”

“I can go off on my own.”

“Of course you can, of course you can dear. Don’t… Don’t, don’t do anything on my account. You can go walking wherever you like. Of course you can, of course… of course… yes...”

OK, so she knows me: better than I’d like. So just who is she? “And you are?”

“Oh yes, yes: I am.”

“Hmm?”

“Oh you don’t want to know dear. Oh no, you don’t want to know. I’m just… you know… I’m just wandering about a bit.”

“So I’m not allowed to walk where I want but you can?”

“No, no, no dear. Of course you can. You can go wherever you want, it’s perfectly OK. Don’t mind me… just go on… do whatever you want.”

“Where’s your pride?”

“My pride… my pride? Oh, you don’t want to get me started about where my pride is…. My pride is at the great rock. That’s where my pride is. They’re all there, waiting for me. Waiting for me. Oh I know what you’re thinking, but they’re there: waiting for me, just me. I’m going to be queen of Pride Rock you know. Ah yes, yes... yes.”

She’s no queen: she’s gaunt, thin. She can barely feed herself. Lonely? Strange certainly, very strange: been alone too long. Totally and utterly mad. I know I should feel sad for her, but I don’t. She feels threatening: closing in, smothering, and then laughing it off. I’m going to be queen, that’s almost as certain as the dawn whether I like it or not… Ah, the dawn: we ought to be getting back.

“Well now Sarabi. It’s been so nice to meet you again, after all this time. Too long, far too long. My how you’ve grown. But, you know, I really must be getting along. Things to do you know. Yes, yes.”

“Where are you going? Who are you? You’ve not told us your name!”

That’s the way Saffi, go get her.

“Oh, I did. I really think you’ll find I did. Well now, I really do have to run. Bye!”

“No, don’t go!”

She’s off. Really off, as if she’s onto a strike. Gone; got the drop on us too, damn her. What the…? Saffi’s going off after her. Come on, get a shift on Sarabi! Three, no four lengths now: she’s got to know this ground well, to pull away from us, from Saffi anyway. Where’s she off to? Whoa, steady up! I don’t believe it. Where’d she go? There? No, down there… she leapt off this deep bluff to get away from us! Us… “Let her go Saffi! It’s nearly dawn. We’ve got to go back.”

“Come on Sarabi! We’ve got this far. We can’t stop now. We’ve only just found her. We can’t just let her got now.”

Your heaving sides sure say different girl. “She knew exactly what she was doing. She found us, she played us, and yes, we can let her go. I’m letting her go. You can go after her, if you like, but I’m going home. What use to us is a crazy lioness like her anyway?”

“She can hunt!”

“For herself maybe. She’s probably not hunted with anyone for… a very long time. She’ll not be able to learn how to hunt with the rest of us. Please, let her go.”

“I’m sure she’s alright. Strange yes, but she’s OK. We have to give her a chance.”

There’s something… something worrying about her. I don’t know what it is, but something’s eating at me. I know her… but I don’t know why. I should know why. I don’t trust her. I don’t trust her at all.

“No Saffi. Please leave her; she didn’t say anything about joining us. If she wanted to she’d have made it obvious. And what was all that about Pride Rock: that’s where her pride is? HER pride? She doesn’t want to be with us, and I think we ought to let her be. She knows where Pride Rock is; she can come and find us if she wants to. I’m…” No, no I’m not, but she’s not going to, is she? “I’m sure we’ll welcome her if she did.”

 

Truths

 

“Well, if it isn’t Sassi-stop-out back again. Mother wants to talk to you. She’s got her claws out for you and no mistake.”

Yeah, right. Sure she has.

“You’ve been with that Sarafina haven’t you? I always knew she was trouble. Mother does too.”

Oh no Naanda, she’s not the one who’s trouble around here.

“Yeah, you can stand there saying nothing and look like Pride Rock in the rains all you want. It won’t change a thing. I know what you’re up to.”

“SARABI!”

Mother: Ahhh, it had to happen soon.

“That’s right missy no-kill, off you go, slinking to mother.”

Oh no Naanda. Yeah, I’m looking you right in the eyes. I’m going alright, but I’m going with my head held high. I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.

“You’ve been looking for that lioness, haven’t you?”

“Yes mother.”

“Well you can forget it. You’re not going anywhere. Do you hear?”

“We found her.”

“We? You mean you were out with that Sarafina? She’s a bad influence on you: she is I tell you. You stay away from her.”

“She’s my friend. She understands.”

“Understands does she? Understand this, my girl, and understand it well: You may not think you have to try – that you’ll be Mufasa’s no matter what – but no lion likes a lioness that doesn’t make an effort. You can’t just go off whenever you want: you’re going to be queen. You’d better start acting like it.”

Fluffy does like me: just as I am. Well, pretty much as I am.

“Don’t you dare try to look down on me young lady! What have you got to say for yourself?”

“Sarafina and I went looking for the lioness: Immali. Sarafina didn’t get me into anything: it was my idea.”

“There’s no way you’re doing anything like that again: far too dangerous. Ahadi, and Mufasa, won’t like it at all if you’re injured or dead!”

How are you going to stop me? Hold me down? Hobble me? “I can look after myself mother.”

“Oh yes? You can hunt, can you?”

“I would if you let me try. You let Naanda get plenty of kills, but as soon as I try, you stop me.”

“When you’re ready – which you’re not – then

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