Murmured snake with ironical tone. “But that issss good. You musssst get know more about thissss land, if you want to get out of here alive!”

 

III. Late Lessons

 

Taka’s wounds turned out to be much more serious than they had seemed initially. Since that night when he got to Dry Oasis, for almost week black-maned was barely standing (to say nothing about walking). Kauli estimated that lion had to recover about a month before he would be able to cross the Great Desert again. Taka hearing this only nodded his head with indifference, because he wasn’t in hurry – he actually had no home to return. Additionally he realized that he wasn’t so avid to left Golden Sands, however he couldn’t explain why was that.

He survived only thanks to care of Kota. Lioness was bringing him meat from pride’s resources and in time she was trying to teach him how to hunt in desert conditions. Slowly recovering prince seemed to start whole live again – he was again a clumsy cub, who was learning the ways of the Circle of Life. Role of untypical parents played Kota and Kauli. Almost like in real pride – she was feeding him and teach how to be a hunter and python was telling him about desert, its mysteries and way of life in that inhospitable land.

“Because it’s your land.” Said Kauli one day.

Lion and snake were lying next to muddy well, slowly swallowing a portions of dirty slime and sucking a water from it. Sun had already risen above the desert and was scorching the dead sands. Trees of Dry Oasis provided shelter from direct rays but heat was barely bearable anyway. Place was just slightly better than dunes of desert outside the pan. Tired and weary Taka was aloud wondering about possibility of return, complaining on desert dangers.

“Don’t blame the dessssert. This isss your land.” Repeated python.

“Hm?” murmured lion still with mud in his mouth.

“I know who you are. You are desssscendant of Zira, Golden Queen. In your veinsss is floating a heritage of thisss country. If you have sssurvived the way from Prideland, this issss the sing that desert accepted you assss own. You have to use it and remind yoursssself how to be Golden Lion.

“Well... I think that this land is running very well without me.” Murmured Taka sarcastically, recalling scenes from day of visit in Golden Cave. With effort he stood and made few steps back away from well. He laid on his bedding, made from acacia branches.

“And that’ssss why you have to became one of usssss.” Hissed python. “Your coming issss a sing that something could and will be changed. You are needed to Golden Sands... and maybe to all Lions Landsssss.”

“Are your a kind of shaman?” asked Taka. He recalled sage of Prideland – mandrill Thamath. Monkey had been always talking with riddles, and even those turned out to be real predictions, no one had use of those on time. Even shaman himself. Black-maned didn’t believe in wisdom that had to be describe by riddles. If rules of the Circle of Life were obligatory to all being it was rather unusual that only chosen ones could understand those.

“No, I’m just a bard, or better to ssssay: historian. The recalling one.” Replied reptile. “But in my ssssongs  I find more wisdom than in all prophesies in this world. “

“Songs won’t water the pride.” Murmured black-maned.

“No. But bard could.” Hissed Kauli. “How have you ssssurvived a way through the desert?” asked, climbing on his back and rolling on his neck.

“Somehow.”
”What have you drunk?”

“Water from dew and mud.” Answered Taka harshly. “And so what?”

“How did you know where to find it?” asked reptile and ssssa... that is: sang with his gentle voice. “Just before sun rises up // Get your paws under the stone // Drink a tasty fresh dew's cup // Until sun would make it gone.”

“What?” exclaimed lion and stood instantly. This effort cost him a serious bolt of pain in side but amaze was greater. He shook snake off his back and grabbed him with paw. Then looked in his green eyes. “How do you know that song? My mother was singing it to me, when I was a cub...”

“Eassssy!” replied python trying to get out from lion’s gasp. “Everybody in Golden Sands knows it. It our lullaby, passing from parents to children since generations. This issss exactly what I was talking about – wisdom of songs that teaches ussss how to live. It givesss us pride, knowledge and in thisss case also a water. Lady Vitani sung it for you? You were living on Prideland... or nearby, it doesn’t matter, but you mother was very wise lioness. Sssshe knew that you needed that voice of ancesssstors. And you have needed – you live thanks to it.” Finally reptile slid out from black-maned’s paws and returned to his favourite place on lion’s neck. There we was still whispering directly do Taka’s ear. “Come with me. To acacia.”

They went closer to old and dried tree, then lion climbed on slope of pan to reach for the edge. They took a look outside the shelter and saw a morning landscape after sandstorm – dead and dusky horizon of desert. Calm and perfectly silent.

[Song „Roots”. Music rather merry, but with slight tone of pathos, mid tempo. Kauli sings without his <ssss>, but in normal way. Music starts.]

[Snake is hanging on lion who is looking over the edge of pan. Kauli raises his hear in front of Taka’s muzzle and pointing the desert. Black-maned is looking on it, initially without interest, squinting his eyes in morning sunlight.]

Kauli:

What a dried and lifeless land

Where’s the life that once was here?

When you walking on this sand

 You see dust by sun was seared

[He points on inside of pan, down to acacia’s roots. When Taka doesn’t react, he tried to tighten on his neck, but this attempt of choking looks rather funny – snake is small and lion powerful. Finally black-maned is following reptile’s stare. They went down and lion bends down over roots of tree. Kauli gets out from predator’s neck. Taka carefully is digging in the sand.]

But look closer, deeper, here!

On that net of roots below

They’re alive and they grow still

Cause they know that means to grow

[Taka uncovers root of acacia, going to the lowest point of pan, just next to muddy well but a bit farther. There lions digs and with amaze discovers that sand becomes more and more wet. He turns his stare on Kauili – snake is pointing with tail on tree.]

Look, there is like everywhere

Both in soil and in the soul

Until the memories guide us well

The life is dwelling proudly forth

[Suddenly from under Taka’s paw spouts a small but strong stream of clean water. Lion sees that and initially lowers his muzzle to quench his thirst but just after he jumps out the hole and grabs python in steel grip. He raises him to his mouth. They are eye themselves up and down for few seconds.

Taka: Wait! You knew that source is here!

Kauli: Well... yesss.

Taka: And you haven’t told me! You haven’t told Golden Ones!

Kauli: I forgot. Aging dementia... [Taka grabs reptile’s neck and shakes him with anger.] Wait, wait! That the hell you think! I’m the boa here! [gasps python with effort. A bit ashamed lion puts him down but still is looking on him dreadfully.] Leave me alone! I didn’t have to ssssay anything because Golden Ones are doing great without this ssssource. We will keep it as a lassst resort and time for that still hasn’t come. Thissss place is called Dry Oasis, because ssssource could dry out. But wisdom we have in mindsss and hearts is source that will never dry. Remember that. Write it down... [surprised lion scratches his head.] Yes, you. I can’t [He points his body wit end of his tail.] I have no paws!

Chorus – Kauli:

So sing aloud this memories song

And take what gives you, makes you strong

 And this great priceless precious show the world

[He crawls to the source, <grabbing> black-maned with his tail. Taka bends down and drinks few draughts then suddenly Kauli hit him in chest, so lion spit part of the water out.]

If life is growing to the sky

It’s sing that root gave it supply

So if you want to grow – hear of root’s word

[Then he points on the longest root of acacia that has guided them to the source. He pushed lion’s head to the trunk of tree and then up, to branches.]

Second verse - Kauli:

[Python sings and draws with end of his tail an <animation> scene on the sand. He sketches tiny Taka the Second as a cub in Vitani’s hug. Thanks to moves of lips we know that queen is singing.]

All the past times are future times

Because they’re living still and thro

So give what you have dear and raise

Like those who passed have built for you

[We also short shots of Taka’s face and pictures of lion’s memories. And on sand appear more and more sketches: Zira with small Vitani, then Arista with small Zira. Later we see unknown lions, but we could assume those are Taka’s ancestors from Golden Line.]

Like thousands beings in just one voice

Like rank through ages goes to top

<Yesterday’s> forging <today’s> choice

 And <today> sowing <future’s> crop

[Mature characters from pictures raises up and forming a rank. Scenery is changing and turning into starlit sky. Flash-black to scene when Taka leaves Prideland and ghost of Sparthi is following him.]

 

So gather what your fathers sown

And return children even more

That is the way of world we own -

- the rank through time to heaven’s door

[Again a shot of inside of pan, but for short moment Taka is convinced that he sees a vivid silhouette of mother, grandmother, granduncle and great-grandfather. But ghost fade quickly, lion shakes his head. Then listen to Kauli’s song with growing interest. Finally he joins to singing.]

Chorus – Kauli and Taka:

We sing aloud this memories song

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