“Gifted enough to manage the quest we are preparing for him?” asked King of the Past. Sandy-maned nodded his head, but in so ambiguous way that it would be both confirmation and negation. “Good, but you have to explain me, why I can’t speak with him. To apologize for Dahabu and advise to...”

“You have to learn many things too, Tanabi.” Interrupted him dead monarch. “For example: that our time on earth is gone and we must trust living ones, as they are trusting us.”

“Taka trusts?”

“Maybe even a bit to much.” Said Sparthi. „Look, he has already set of to Prideland. This kid just can’t sit in place...” and he added with some quieter voice. “Just like my sister.”

 

IV. The Arbiter

 

Taka tamed the desert or he was tamed by desert. Anyway he was returning from Golden Sands as a completely different lion than he had gone there. Route once he had marched through in five days, he made in less than four – easy and certainly, like was wag running not on hot sand but on comfortable savannah of Prideland. He discovered a convenient path on south – it turned out that most of way could be made on stone valley, that once had been created by decay of limestone ranges. So Taka not only was marching almost on solid rock but also he found that those rocks collects descent dose of dew every morning. So wanderer wasn’t afraid of thirst anymore.

Taka was walking and seeing his new way, he both laughing and shivering while thinking of his previous efforts. His last journey had succeeded miraculously. But then lion was rediscovering that waterless land was filled with life – easy to get when you know how to look for hidden treasures. Half-forgotten lesions from cubhood that mother once had told him, reminded by Kota and Kauli, started to giving profits every day. Lion was travelling fast, avoiding unnecessary risk of thirst and sunstrokes.

For first two nights he was walking, because found shelter for day. Only in last day of journey he had to march without stop, not to risk a rest without shade.

He didn’t hunt, but few times accidentally he found some preys. With real regret and sympathy he was killing and eating desert rats and geckos. In those days of intense study of a new life he stopped to see only a meat in preys but also noticed that those brave creatures are actually his brothers in struggle against element of desert. “I’m sorry!” he was thinking, while he was chewing hunted animal. “But maybe some day I will be the one that won’t strand a sun’s rays and my body become a meal for some of your kind?” For that hard, but also glorious time he discovered how terribly little he had known about the Circle of Life, living on home’s savannah. “We are complaining about drought?! We just underestimating generosity of the Circle of Life...” he repeated in mind, closing to home.

Just before the dawn, about four am, he stopped at the bank of Border River. Since time of escape, muddy bed dried even more, but Taka smiled seeing something what seemed to be a ocean of water for him. Carefully he drank few draught of dirty liquid from salty mud. Then he entered kingdom of his brother – he run there airily and joyfully, like he was returning from short trip not from long journey. That smile faded when he noticed a group of lionesses, standing on Priderock’s foot. They were silent, looking on the valley of graves.

King was not there.

“Cheka?” whispered wandered uncertainly to lioness standing nearby. Female came out from circle of pride and cried before him. Taka came to friend and hugged her gently. “Cheka... what has happened?” he swallowed a thick saliva, pointed with paw on new grave and asked with tensed voice. “Is that... king?”

“Anasa.” Sobbed grey-furred. “Anasa is dead.”

“What with my brother?” asked Taka, a little harsher that he intended to. “Where is Dahabu?”

Hearing that lionesses turned to newcomer. “Taka!” “He’s back!” sounded whispers of Pridelandresses and black-maned sensed a heavy stare of eleven pair of eyes. Pride stepped few steps out from graves (“Grandma, grandpa, mom, dad, new tomb, I guess Anasa... that’s all!” thought Taka. “Dahabu could be still alive!”) and without word surrounded prince. Only Cheka was still crying, nestled into lion’s side.

“You are here.” Finally said Maitha, the oldest lioness of pride. “So Ahadi hasn’t forsaken us...”

“What with king?” repeated his question black-maned. “What happened to Anasa?”

“They attacked from ambush.” Said slowly elder one. “Three rouges. They struck king. Anasa was defending him, when Cheka went for reinforcements, for rest of the pride. But...” female turned her stare into the ground. “We have come too late.” Taka narrowed his eyes with pain. “Yes, king... come with me.” Ordered Maitha.

Black-maned followed lioness and rest of the pride followed Taka. They went on Priderock. It was an early morning, but sun was already shining hard, making every breath difficult and unpleasant. “In such a weather we should rest in shade.” Thought Taka, trying to concentrate on anything else that graves beneath him.

That entered cave, but lionesses stopped on doorstep, afraid of breaking sacred peace of royal cave. Only old Maitha was walking slowly inside, to lying ruler. On bedding was golden-furred and golden-maned body of monarch. Taka clenched his jaws but just a second after he relaxed – chest of his brother was moving up and down, slowly but still. Lion stood over Dahabu, carefully bending his paw down to him.

King was severely wounded. Dark, deluged with pus, cuts were going through almost all left side of ruler and on his forehead a red bump after strong hit. Front-left paw was broken and due to open wound no one had tried to set the bone. Dahabu was breathing heavily, blood and saliva was dripping from his opened mouth.

“Brother...” whispered black-maned.

“Taka?” asked monarch with weary and quiet voice. He seemed not to believe that prince was there. He opened his eyes and his stare met with Taka’s. Then ruler called with stronger voice. “Out! Everyone except of Taka: out!” And when last lioness disappeared over chamber’s doorstep, lion said to black-maned. “Welcome back! So you have come to reclaim what is your?”

“Dahabu, what has happened?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Replied wounded one. “The point is: what is about to be now. I think we both know.”

“I don’t” gasped Taka. “We must set your bone. Send lionesses and Tiko to find some shaman and meanwhile...”

“I will die, Taka.” Interrupted king. „And that’s good. I will go to my beloved Anasa.”

Black-maned needed no more explanations. Anasa was always admireress of Dahabu, but just about half year earlier prince started to interest with beautiful subject. And when golden-furred had become a king, she had become a queen. Taka was glad about that, however he wished that she could use that title for longer than one month...

“I don’t want to upset you, but you have some duties to your kingdom.” Murmured prince, trying to sound jokingly. “As a king you can’t die – there is no one who could allow you for that!”

“Take care of our pride, brother.” Said Dahabu, ingoing Taka’s words. “I guess that Kings of the Past punished me for my haughtiness and ingratitude towards you. Well, you will have an opportunity to show that you are better lion and ruler than me.”

Finally in that moment a awareness of situation came to Taka. He was going to be king! At last, after so many years of scorn and humiliations! Waiting in Dahabu’s shade was over – he could stand in the fist rank. Suddenly lion’s life – earlier grey and useless - gained a new meaning. The throne! He would be a monarch of great Lion Land! As a ruler he would show himself with pride to Kota and say: Well, my baby, maybe you want to live at king’s side? He ceased to be just and pitiful invalid and bore as Taka the Second, heir of Prideland. It was wonderful, it was magnificent, it was... too easy!

“He won’t die!” thought prince. “I won’t allow for that. That is my brother, my pride!”

“I will make sure that you are treated well.” He added aloud.

“I forbade lionesses to search for shaman and waste water to cleaning my wounds. And I forbid that also to you.” Taka even hadn’t managed narrow his eyes due to surprise, when his brother raised his hand with effort, hushing his protest. “We are starving and dying from thirst. One mouth less to feed and water could mean life for all pride. I wish to be buried in...”

“SIR!” interrupted him Taka with official tone. “As a son of king Tanabi and your brother I assume the duties of regent until you are in condition to continue your reign. Your silence I consider as an approval, your highness.” Said lion and put his paw on Dahabu’s mouth to muffle his reply. “We will get shaman as soon as it’s possible. Then we will think about additional water. Sleep well, sir, I will take care of everything.”

So he let brother loose and not waiting for further protests he run out the cave. He found lionesses in shade of Priderock. Although he was sorry, he had to interrupt a bereavement after deceased queen, he understood that duties to death could wait, on the contrary to duties to living ones. With gentle but wilfully orders he induced females to action. Before sun reached its zenith, Pridelanders were working hard.

*

Plan was very simple, but also very hard to follow.

Taka had got known everything about attack of the rouges. Three aggressive lions had made an ambush on king, who had been walking on eastern border with mate and her best friend – Cheka. Young lioness run for help, sent by Dahabu, but she hadn’t managed to bring pride on time, at least on time for Anasa. When lionesses came, aggressors had already inflicted fatal wounds to queen and almost fatal to king. Rouges escaped, seeing coming relief and Maitha was almost sure they wouldn’t dare to attack once more.

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