one…”

“The sum is not right.” Noticed Msikizi reasonably. “I guess that Wivu scored, because she took Zira down. What happened on our side doesn’t matter. So Zira and Wivu have one point each.”

“A play-off?” asked grey cub.

“Sure thing.” Replied princess with emotional voice. Spirit of rivalry wrapped her up too and she dropped all doubts she had earlier. “Just one on one.”

“Hey, girls… that is not funny anymore.” Judged Epesi.

“You stole her from me!” cried grey kitty, pouncing on step-sister. “She loves you more, because you are king’s cub! It’s not fair!” both cubs collided in mid-air, falling down and wrestling. “Because you are princess, her eyes are always on you!”

“Maybe I simply better?” asked Zira and pinned sister down, putting paws on her throat.

“You had your own mother! You killed her and took mine!” cried Wivu and world fell silent.

At least for Zira. In moment of clarity she understood everything. All strange looks of pride. Father’s sad eyes and uncle’s melancholic appearance. Stories about late queen that were always cut down when Zira come. That strange mixture of care and fear that Sparthi was showing towards her. She killed her own mother. She was a monster.

“No…” she whispered and Wivu stopped at once.

For a while, since Zira heard sister’s words, few things happened. Because princess lost her all attention, Wivu threw her aside, stood up and pinned gold kitty herself. Then started to hit at random in Zira’s head. That was a pain, but in fact princess felt nothing, completely separated from the world around. Only those words <You killed your mother> were screaming in her ears.

“Zira…” asked Wivu with quiet and scared voice.

Grey kitty stopped her fighting, stepped back and looked again on step-sister. Then she sighed with disbelief, what she had done. She was fighting Zira, her sister! She slashed her with claws, inflicting some serious pain… Cub simply couldn’t understand why it happened. Then she noticed as Zira burst with tears.

“No, Zira… please!” She ran to her and knelled down. “I’m so sorry… I didn’t want to…” she started to lick cut on her sister’s face. But it was no use – cry of princess got even louder. “I’m so sorry, Zira, please don’t cry!” said Wivu and burst with tears as well. She felt even worse than if she had than cut on her muzzle.

“I… I killed…” sobbed golden cub and in simple impulse hugged Wivu.

She hugged her too, then licking step-sister’s head. The whole scene slowly returned to grey cub with all details. She was shivering inside, thinking how it was possible that she got in so brutal fight with Zira and then shouted she…

“No…” yelled Wivu, recalling words she just had spoken. “Zira, I didn’t mean to! I didn’t say it. Forget about it, please!”

“I killed her!” princess sobbed again. “And my sister too. I should have died in stead of them!”

Both kitties were lying on the ground and crying for longer while. Wivu didn’t try to talk more, seeing that Zira was unable to listening her. In fact hispered. Princess stopped her crying and replied.

“What?”

“Zira… I didn’t want to say that… That is not true, of course… I just…”

“But I did kill them.” said kitty. Then was no sobs in her voice, but that decisiveness sounded even more creepy. “If not me, my mother and Kira would be alive.”

“But it’s not your fault!” exclaimed Wivu. “You even don’t remember it.”

“That’s why I learnt about it just today…”

“Zira… please, don’t be angry on me.” Said grey cub with repentant voice. “I didn’t want to offend you… I regret we were fighting… I didn’t want you to cry!” She again hugged to step-sister, who return that hug. After all they loved each other, what was especially clear after those moments they seemed to hate each other.

“It’s nothing.” Said Zira with calmer voice. “It is all… right, at least in range it could be.”

“You won’t cry?” asked grey cub with inquiring voice. When Zira nodded her head, she added. “I did something terrible…” she raised her paw and touched Zira’s cheek. Just few minutes earlier she hit that cheek with her claws but then she stroked it with sibling’s tenderness. “I’m sorry I hit you.”

“That’s not your fault!” replied Zira. “Just… let me stand up.”

“But aren’t you angry?” asked Wivu. “If not me, that wouldn’t happened.”

Zira stood on her paws, but froze hearing then. She repeated that phrase silently and understand everything once again. Perhaps she didn’t remember it, but it happened anyway. Her mother was dead and that was because of her.

“Right… If not me, that wouldn’t happened.” Said Zira louder. Wivu understood what she meant.

“Zira… drop that stupid blaming… It’s ridicules!” she cried.

“I won’t cry.” Said princess. “Don’t worry… Let’s go to others… But then we have to find some explanation for… mom.” She meant Masa, of course. But recalling of her late biological mother made that word sounding strange in her lips. “We are bruised after all.”

“Yeah… we could say that.” Smiled Wivu awkwardly. Both cubs were covered with minor abrasions – often result of playing in gorge, but some deeper cut, painted with blood would and should evoke some inquiring questions. “We fell from ledge?”

“Maybe… but that way Sparthi would be to blame that he didn’t keep an eye on us?”

“We run away from him.” Proposed grey cub, but then added. “However in that way we won’t miss some real disciplining.”

“Right… but we shouldn’t involve Sparthi in that… Wivu… just don’t tell anyone, what happened.”

“Of course…”

“So, let’s go.” Decided Zira. And when Wivu was passing her by, she added with whisper. “And I still t true, of course… I just…”

“But I did kill them.” said kitty. Then was no sobs in her voice, but that decisiveness sounded even more creepy. “If not me, my mother and Kira would be alive.”

“But it’s not your fault!” exclaimed Wivu. “You even don’t remember it.”

“That’s why I learnt about it just today…”

“Zira… please, don’t be angry on me.” Said grey cub with repentant voice. “I didn’t want to offend you… I regret we were fighting… I didn’t want you to cry!” She again hugged to step-sister, who return that hug. After all they loved each other, what was especially clear after those moments they seemed to hate each other.

“It’s nothing.” Said Zira with calmer voice. “It is all… right, at least in range it could be.”

“You won’t cry?” asked grey cub with inquiring voice. When Zira nodded her head, she added. “I did something terrible…” she raised her paw and touched Zira’s cheek. Just few minutes earlier she hit that cheek with her claws but then she stroked it with sibling’s tenderness. “I’m sorry I hit you.”

“That’s not your fault!” replied Zira. “Just… let me stand up.”

“But aren’t you angry?” asked Wivu. “If not me, that wouldn’t happened.”

Zira stood on her paws, but froze hearing then. She repeated that phrase silently and understand everything once again. Perhaps she didn’t remember it, but it happened anyway. Her mother was dead and that was because of her.

“Right… If not me, that wouldn’t happened.” Said Zira louder. Wivu understood what she meant.

“Zira… drop that stupid blaming… It’s ridicules!” she cried.

“I won’t cry.” Said princess. “Don’t worry… Let’s go to others… But then we have to find some explanation for… mom.” She meant Masa, of course. But recalling of her late biological mother made that word sounding strange in her lips. “We are bruised after all.”

“Yeah… we could say that.” Smiled Wivu awkwardly. Both cubs were covered with minor abrasions – often result of playing in gorge, but some deeper cut, painted with blood would and should evoke some inquiring questions. “We fell from ledge?”

“Maybe… but that way Sparthi would be to blame that he didn’t keep an eye on us?”

“We run away from him.” Proposed grey cub, but then added. “However in that way we won’t miss some real disciplining.”

“Right… but we shouldn’t involve Sparthi in that… Wivu… just don’t tell think you are right. If not me…” But then followed her step-sister.

*

Dhalimu saw whole scene from upper part of the gorge. He didn’t interfere, although he knew he should had. Somehow he read from acting of Zira what that all was about and he involuntary smiled. He didn’t wish any harm to his niece, but the truth was undeniable. If not her, Malkha would be still alive. Old lion made few steps down, when he noticed as kitties started to fight for real, but before he decided to roar with stopping command, brawl ceased.

Next scene Dhalimu read also properly. He just came down and hid behind stones of some middle ledge, just in distance to hear some words of Wivu and princess. He smiled again, although there was no reason to smile.

Or was? “That’s good.” Thought white lion. “Zira knew what she did and that will keep her in place. Sparthi is real Malkha’s heir and I must make sure he will be the king. Zira… if Zira falls envy towards her brother, she would do something terrible… find some rogue to help and one day depose my nephew. Improbable, but not impossible, for cub who killed own mother… But it won’t happen… She learned what guilt she is marked with. I won’t let her hurt Malkha anymore. I will keep my eye on her!”

Then he looked farther, on jungle grove and lake’s beach. Sparthi and Ghera were there, playing like they were young cubs. But it was different kind of play – a shyly attempts to say something they knew but were unable to put into the words. Dhalimu smiled even wider. It seemed – in spite Sparthi wasn’t fully aware of that – he already chose his queen to be.

*

“Gnu’s dropping!” snorted Busara. “Where the heck you were!?”

Zira and Wivu get to friends, hidden in canes. Fortunately three kitties were so wrapped up with monitoring prince’s and lioness actions that they missed strange marks on newcomers – both cuts and trails of tears went unnoticed.

“What’s up?” asked Zira. She tried

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