sandymaned had done. “Just think a while. They are dead or currently are chocking underground. Even if whole pride would dig, they had limited chances to get on time. You can’t help them, however you could endanger yourself. Just come back here and leave that crack.”

“You killed them!” cried Chungu. He was four year old, but in that moment he was acting like a cub, shocked and terrified. Until the last moment he didn’t believe that his friend would do it. And he hadn’t stopped him. The burden of guilt was pressing his forehead. “You are crazy! Lipizi corrupted you!” added with desperate clarity. “You didn’t avenge your brother… You hated him, because he was with her. But when you saw a chance to serve your blasted love, you did it with no hesitation… murderer.”

“Come on!” hastened him Angaa. “Go away, until someone will see you. If Kovu finds that you are somehow involved, his lionesses will tear you to pieces!”

“So let it be!” cried Chungu. He was still digging with desperate speed.

Angaa analysed the situation. Lionesses were most likely dead. His friends had already left enough clues that someone was there during accident, that Kovu surely would get suspicious. After adrenaline shock ceased, Angaa understood that whatever happens, he definitely didn’t want to risk Chungu’s life. There was one way to play innocent in that case. He looked on friend and said, faking shocked voice.

“Stars! You right… I’ve made grave mistake.”

“I guess it’s a bit too late for remorse.” Snorted Chungu.

“You never know…” replied Angaa. “They could be still alive. Dig and I will get pride to help.” He ran down to gorge and set off in Golden Massif direction. Redmaned barely noticed it, still doing his best to uncover buried lionesses. But digging in gravel was extremely hard task. With every pawfull of sand and rubble he threw away, almost the same potion of material was sliding down from slope of pile.

“They are surely dead.” Thought Angaa, running to Golden Cave. “Is that what you wanted, Lipizi?”

I ordered Kiara to stay calm and not move at all. Meanwhile I tried to dig myself out, but soon I found out it was useless. I just had no idea what to do with gravel I dug. Space we where we were imprisoned was just too small to work that way. Additionally every unnecessary move causing us to use more oxygen. I found out that staying motionless was the best thing to do.

“Ma’am, we must be calm and cool.” I said. “Sooner or later they will look for us and most likely quickly will find that pile. With strength of whole pride they will get us out in moment. We just have to stay alive to that moment.” She nodded her head. “Sleep if you like. That way you will use less oxygen. But on of us must stay awake, to give a signal to eventual rescue.”

“I’m too scared to fall asleep.” She replied. “What if I won’t wake up?”

“I guess you will have the lightest and less unpleasant death I could imagine.” I smiled, in order to cheer her. But I guess it wasn’t exactly the taste of humour she was accustomed to. Pridelander! After all I shouldn’t be surprised. “I’m sorry, bad joke.” I added.

So, it came in really weird way. I wished my queen dead and it happened that her death was more than probable. But I was going to die too. What a pity! It all was about to be taken in vain. I wanted to live and be with my beloved king. But if I die too…

Then I was struck with terrifying thought. I hadn’t thought about that earlier and my heart beat faster when I understood it. I wanted to kill queen, not knowing if…

“Queen?” I asked with breaking voice. Those words were hardly coming from my mouth, but I knew that Stars prevented me from doing a terrible crime. “Are you pregnant?”

“Hm?” surprised Kiara.

“I must know if you are pregnant with king’s heir.” I explained.

“Well… why you want to know it so sudden?” she asked.

“Because if you are carrying king’s cub, I have to use any means that necessary to save him or her.”

“I guess you anyway have to <use any means that necessary> to save yourself and me by the way.” Smiled queen. But I just shook my head.

“No, there is some another way.” Her eyes narrowed. “As you probably noticed, out crack isn’t hermetic. If it was, we would be already dead. Some fresh air is coming here, but oxygen level is dropping. But if only one of us breathe, I think it would allow to survive.” I didn’t mentioned who would survive, but she knew it. She just sighed.

“You mean…”

“If you are carrying king’s heir, you must kill me and use my air to live. Help will come… but most likely too late for us both.”

“No!” cried Kiara.

“Hush, ma’am. Do not waste the oxygen.”

“But I can’t do that!” she cried. “And… No Tetesi, I’m not pregnant.”

In first impulse after hearing that I wanted to hit her and slash her throat. I restrained myself barely. So… there was another option – I would survive the accident. But I was still thinking logical – if I killed her, I would have left clear clues about that. I had to eliminate her in discreet way, or… save her for all cost to please my king. Absurd situation, don’t you think.

“Are you sure?” I asked with inquiring voice. “If there is even small possibility, I suggest you to do what you should do for king and pride.”

“Yes… I mean: no!” sighed Kiara. She looked around on wall of your prison. “Tetesi, may I say something confidentially? You know, we are most likely done anyway, so it probably doesn’t matter, but if we will survive this, just don’t tell it anyone.”

“I’m listening, my queen.” I noticed that she wanted to unbosom herself just like lioness to lioness. “I’m listening to you, Kiara.”

“So… I’m not going well with Kovu in last weeks… You know, all those stress of trek and settling here… But he… We wasn’t together since setting off from Prideland. I don’t know what’s a problem and…”

I was listening and trying to think in the same time. I estimated our chances on survival on about twenty five percent, but it would be very stupid to survive and waste such a chance to know your rival. And she was telling me everything I wanted to know. I felt a bit disappointed – the game was giving up to his chase willingly.

Angaa ran to Golden Cave in moment when all pride was already there. He was greeted by surprised stare of Lipizi, who seemed to say: You shouldn’t show yourself here!, but he ignored her. He ran to blackmaned lion, who was lying on royal bedding and then felt panting heavily in front of him. It was just a trick – he was walking to cave slowly, definitely not hurrying – he wanted to be sure that buried lioness had chocked already. So his way took him almost hour, instead of quarter – and so fast he could make if, if he wanted to. So after several seconds of faked panting, he whispered.

“Sir…”

“Who the hell are you?” asked surprised king.

“It… doesn’t matter…” whispered Angaa. “Your queen… and her friend… gorge…”

Whole pride stood up in second and turned their stares to newcomer.

V. Queen and Subject

Kiara and Tetesi were lying under ground cover for long, however immeasurable time. Cut out from sun and with senses weakened by shock they just couldn’t estimate how much time had passed since accident. Only sure factor that would be helpful was level of oxygen. “The air is going more and more deadly” Thought brownfurred. “I know our doom is coming, but I can’t say how fast.” So she just placed herself in more comfortable position. At least that part of her body that wasn’t buried by avalanche.

“Are you awake?” asked Tetesi, holding Kiara in her arms. Queen was breathing heavily, but it wasn’t any sigh of sleep or being awake, but just testimony of partial intoxication. She just had finished her confessions.

“Somehow still...” Smiled goldenfurred with bitter smile. “Are you afraid too?”

“Afraid? Hardly to say.” Replied Tetesi. “Maybe more disappointed. And angry on that.” She pointed the gravel around. “If we die, it will be a great blow to the pride. The loss of queen is a crisis already. But also if I’m going down, what will thin number of huntresses to nine.” Kiara smiled with tone of disbelief.

“So, you are afraid of dying, only because it will harm our pride?”

“Yeah… I could say so.” Agreed brownfurred. “But it not just about pride. I mean, not abstractive group is the point. I’m connected with Golden Pride, but in the first place I’m connected with particular persons. With my mother, Danti, Ostasi, Kauta… And in the first place, with king. I guess that is definitely what we have in common.” Said Tetesi. In fact she didn’t want to say that, but it happened involuntary. As if just before her death she wished to say honestly what was burning in her for last months. Kiara instantly felt some strange tone in that sentence.

“What do you mean? He is my mate. For you is just a king.”

“For me is even king. That is not so far from matehood than you think. It’s just a bit more… one-sided.”

“Huh?” sighed Kiara.

“As I said.” Explained Tetesi. “You are living with Kovu as with mate. We, lioness of pride haven’t mates. If we decide, it old custom that tells us to leave the pride, because there should be just one king in kingdom. So most of us is living under king’s protection. We serve him, but that’s not all. We love him. We love him, as you love him, with the same degree of devotion and tenderness as if he was our mate. But get less in exchange, no intimacy, no closeness with him, no cubs of his blood. But it changes nothing. Or at least shouldn’t change. In my case – I hope – it doesn’t.”

Kiara was a bit shocked by confession of friend. She was silent for few minutes than asked.

“But… someday you will meet some rouge, eventually you decide to have cubs with him… I know that it’s not conventional for pridelioness to live with her mate… But your cubs. They become your life in the first place. Isn’t that true?”

“I doubt if cubs would