CHAPTER 45:  OIL AND WATER

	Uzuri sighed as she looked across the rocks at her hunting party.  
"Oh, gods," she thought.  "This is never going to work."
	Assembled in front of her were her huntresses: Sarabi, Isha, 
Yolanda, Ajenti, Tameka, and Beesa.  Uzuri had intended for Sarafina to 
join them, but the lioness had uncharacteristically begged off, asking 
to remain at home with her daughter, Nala.  Uzuri had queried her 
lightly on this, but had not pressed the matter; when it came to 
hunting, none of her lionesses were slouchers, least of all Sarafina.  
She had readily consented and substituted the young Tameka in Fini's 
place.  But Uzuri would have much rather have had Sarafina's experience 
along for what lay ahead of them tonight.
	She glanced over at the other half of her hunting party.  
Supposedly chosen for their hunting prowess, the six hyenas she had been 
assigned did not do much to comfort her.  At the present moment they 
were busy arguing among themselves about a particularly nasty fight they 
had witnessed a few months back.
	Clearing her throat, she stepped forward.  "Excuse me.  If you're 
quite finished..."  At her penetrating stare, the hyenas subsided 
slowly.  "We'll be hunting in the northern meadows tonight.  Now, as you 
are unfamiliar with our hunting tactics, I wanted to go over a couple of 
things that I thought-"
	"We can't eat tactics," one of the hyenas quipped.  "I need red 
meat and lots of it.  I think could eat a whole lion!"
	The other hyenas erupted in a gale of raucous laughter.  Uzuri set 
her jaw and endured it until it subsided, then looked at the one who had 
spoken.  "I take it you are Pipkah?"
	"Yes, I'm Pipkah, but you can't take it."  Some of the other 
hyenas nearly went into fits at this jibe.  Others hid their faces and 
groaned.
	Uzuri blew out her breath in frustration and turned to Isha.  "I 
give up.  We'll just have to hope they know what they're doing."
	Isha stared hard at Pipkah as Uzuri passed by her, muttering.  The 
young lioness glanced back at Uzuri, noting the peculiar set of her 
head.  She envied the hunt mistress's powers of concentration; already 
the incident was put behind her as Uzuri began running attack patterns 
and possible hunting sites through her head.
	But for Isha, the insult was not so easily forgotten.  As the 
hyena started to pass her, she stepped in front, blocking his path.  She 
stared at him, sniffing him carefully.
	"Hey, watch the merchandice lady!"
	She smiled sweetly.  "I just wanted to remember you.  You're the 
hunting party leader.  Pap Kuuh is it, or Pip Kahh?"
	"Pip Kahh is close enough."  He smiled.  "Well, good.  I worked 
hard for this position, and I'm glad to get some recognition."
	Isha's smile widened, but her eyes remained hard as diamonds.  
"Oh, definitely.  As hunt master of the hyenas, you`re responsible for 
their actions.  If we make a good kill tonight, you'll doubtless be 
rewarded appropriately."  She moved next to them as they walked, her 
breath soft in his ear.  "And if one of your people injures one of mine, 
you will also be rewarded appropriately.  I can't eat tactics, but I 
think I could eat a whole hyena."  Without waiting for a response, she 
trotted ahead to rejoin the other lionesses.
	Pipkah watched her leave, hatred evident on his face, but a hatred 
tempered with fear.  He turned to see the other hyenas looking at him 
curiously.  "What're you guys mooning at?!  Spread out for cryin' out 
loud!"
	The breath of night whispered gently through the leaves, teasing 
the beard on Rafiki's chin as he picked the precious Alba leaves from 
their delicate stems.  One by one he placed the leaves in the bottom of 
the small wooden bowl he held in his lap, until a thin layer covered the 
bottom.  Giving a satisfied grunt, he picked up the small bone pestle 
Makedde had given him long ago and begin to grind away at the leaves in 
smooth, steady strokes.  The task was a familiar one, and he found his 
thoughts wasndering as he gazed contemplatively out across the darkened 
savanna.
	A rumbling snort cut the air, and he looked down to see one of his 
guards sprawled at the base of the tree, face composed in bliss as he 
slumbered away the boring duty of guarding one old monkey in a tree.
	Rafiki glanced around surrepetitiously to make sure he was not 
being observed.  Oh, of course, doubtless there was an outer perimiter 
of guards to keep him detained; he had seen them before.  Even if he 
managed to get down and escape into the grass, one of them would 
intercept him before he got away.  No, escape was impossible.
	But that didn't mean he couldn't have any fun.
	He quietly reached up and plucked a gourd from an overhanging 
branch of the baobab.  The branch swished sharply as it sprang back into 
place, and the guard below snorted and shifted slightly.  Rafiki froze, 
waiting until the hyena had settled himself again.  Paitently, he 
examined the stars, gazing familiarly at the constellation of The 
Blessed, naming the stars one by one to himself.  He had gotten through 
perhaps half when snores again rose from below.
	Grinning, he took careful aim, and dropped the gourd.  It fell 
through the air and glanced off the hyena's skull with a sharp THUNK.  
The guard leapt up, snorting in surprise.
	"What the-" he looked down, rubbing his abused head gingerly, 
feeling the welt rising on his skull as he saw the gourd lying on the 
ground a few feet away.  Snarling, he looked upwards at the mandrill who 
sat in the fork of the branches high above, stirring his bowl and 
staring innocently out at the stars.  "All right, I've HAD it!  That's 
the third time this week!  Don't tell me the wind knocked THAT one 
down."
	Rafiki looked at him and smiled.  "Oh, you found it!  I knew I 
must have dropped it or something!"  He cackled  as the hyena bristled 
at him.
	"That's it.  You're gonna be laughing out of the other side of 
your head when I get through with you-"
	"Shut up, fool."  The guard froze in the midst of preparing to go 
after the mandrill.  He turned his head to see Krull sitting behind him, 
eyes glinting dangerously in the moonlight as they bored into his own.  
"You're right.  That's the third time this week he's done it.  And you 
were asleep on duty all three times.  Now what should I do about that, 
hmm?"
	The guard stammered for a moment, then rolled on the ground.  "I 
beg forgiveness, Roh'khal Krull.  Bih gah'kh'resh mal!  Bih mal!"
	Krull looked at him sternly for a moment, then nodded.  
"Gah'kh'resh nih."  The guard looked up, surprised, gratitude shining in 
his eyes as Krull jerked his head over his shoulder.  "Go get Henneh to 
relieve you.  Go on, now."
	"Yes sir!"  The guard scrambled away into the grass.  Krull looked 
up at the mandrill who was watching with no small interest.
	"What was that all about?" Rafiki asked.
	"The boy fell asleep three times while on duty."  Krull scratched 
behind one ear.  "Technically, I should have killed him the second 
time."
	Rafiki's eyes widened.  "Technically, I'm glad you didn't."
	"His wife is near to delivery, and he's been hunting for two 
instead of sleeping days."  Krull sat up and shook himself busily.  
"Some things tend to get overlooked.  If you'll excuse me?"
	"Oh, of course."  Rafiki watched the hyena trot off and disappear 
into the grass.  The wind followed him, ruffling the plants in living 
waves that rippled across the savannah.  As Rafiki watched, one wave 
apeared to die abrupty, as if it had struck a rock or kopje hidden in 
the grass.
	He sat up, intrested, as he saw the forms of several hyenas moving 
through the grass.  His eyes saw something vaguely familiar about the 
way they were walking, almost as if they were-
	He was jolted by the realization that the hyenas were moving in 
one of Uzuri's well known sweep patterns.  His eyes flicked busily 
across the grass.  Keeping them unfocused, he scanned the area quickly, 
remembering how she had explained this pattern worked and--there they 
were.  Barely discernable at this distance, the supple forms of 
lionesses glided theough the savannah, moonlight gleaming off their 
pelts.  Noting the direction of their travel, Rafiki looked and saw the 
small group of antelope that huddled together, drowsing the night away 
in the security of numbers.
	Down below, Uzuri was also eyeing the antelope, but for a 
different reason.
	The hunt mistress paused, one forepaw lifted, frozen in statuesque 
beauty as she assessed the situaton.  Without taking her eyes from the 
herd ahead, she flicked her left ear twice, as if deterring a 
particularly bothersome fly.  But the nuances of the motion, lost on one 
unfamiliar with the hunt, were crystal clear to her sisters.  Isha saw 
the signal and immediately complied, stealthily widening her distance 
from Uzuri by approximately two body lengths.  Uzuri repeated the motion 
on the opposite side, and Sarabi mirrored the manuver to her right.  The 
other four lionesses, despite being out of sight on her flanks, were 
doubtless adjusting their positions as well.
	As Uzuri resumed creeping toward the antelope, she wondered if the 
hyenas were even in the correct positions on the far side of the herd.  
She could only hope; her instructions had been terse and precise, but 
even the simplest of commands were often lost on those imbeciles.  If 
only one of them got out of position, the whole group might not catch 
anything-
	She berated herself for letting her thoughts wander so; there was 
work to be done.  Rising slightly, she flicked her tail, and the 
lionesses slowly began closing on the herd.
	Rafiki shifted slightly to get a better view at the lionesses 
began moving towards the antelope herd.  He strained to see in the 
grayish light cast by the moon overhead, and looked up angrily at the 
slight clouds which scudded over the moon, dimming the luminance into 
near nothingness.
	"Come on," he muttered.  "Give an old monkey a break."
	As if in answer, the clouds tattered from the forceful winds high 
overhead, and the savanna below was suddenly alive with moving shapes.  
He picked out Uzuri at the center of the arc of lionesses, her slight 
form strange and beautiful in the silver light.
	"Careful, honey tree, oh so careful," he whispered.  He watched 
her pick her way across the grassland, silent as the night sneaking in 
on the heels of twilight.
	More movement caught his eyes, and he glanced across the swatch of 
grassland to see the hyenas closing from the other direction.  The 
pattern fell into place with an almost audible click, and he smiled, 
unable to help himself.  The two groups had surrounded the herd 
perfectly, allowing no gaps for it to slip through.  Someone would be 
guaranteed at least one strike, maybe at least three before the fleeing 
animals would escape.
	"Uzuri," he breathed softly, "you are pure genius."  He leaned 
forward to get a better look at her, and felt a small nudge against his 
midsection.  Looking down he saw the mixing bowl slipping away from his 
lap, the precious Alba flakes stirring restlessly.  He flailed at it, 
but the bowl slipped from his grasp to fall with a gentle swish on his 
bed below.  Eyeing it agitatedly, he saw with relief that the Alba had 
not spilled, and began to clamber down to get his treasured herbs, 
sparing a fleeting glance at the closing predators.
	Far below, Pipkah gritted his teeth at the wait.  Why in blazes 
hadn't the idiot lioness started the attack yet?  Mother of All, the 
antelope were practically in front of him!  He eyed the herd greedily, 
salivating at the sight of the meaty forms that slumbered away, ignorant 
of his presence.
	Finally, he spat in the dust. "I'm going to starve before we catch 
anything with our "tactics."  He glanced over at the two youngsters next 
to him.  "Losara, Makh'rish: see that youngling over there?"
	The two looked at the antelope and spied the small calf lying 
beside it's mother.  "Yes."
	"That is your target.  Res'shakh and I will pick off the mother.  
On my signal we rush them.  Understand?"
	Losara nodded, her eyes shining with admiration at his leader's 
daring, but Makh'rish looked nervous.  "S-Sir?  Aren't we supposed to 
wait until the lions signal us?"
	"Are you questioning my authority?  Or would you rather follow 
that hairy wretch instead of your own kind?"
	"N-No sir," she stammered.
	"Then be silent and obey me."  Pipkah looked back at the antelope 
a moment longer, then nodded.  "GO!!!"
	The hyenas bolted forward, legs flying under them as they 
propelled themselves towards the herd.  Pipkah grinned with exhilaration 
and gave out a high yodeling laugh of joy.  "YAHHHHH!"
	The herd of antelope exploded into sudden motion, startling Uzuri 
and raising her hackles.  "What in the-"
	The sound of hyannic laughter drifted to her, and she snarled deep 
in her chest.  "Those fools!  I KNEW this would happen." She glanced at 
Isha and Sarabi.  "Let's go, but for gods' sake be careful."  Rising 
from her crouch, she led the lionesses in a silent rush towards the 
group of antelope, who were still milling about in a panic.  They had 
only seconds left to act and still have a chance, she knew, but as soon 
as the herd got organized and began to flee, all was lost.
	Rafiki was making his way back up the branch, Alba clutched firmly 
in one hand, when he heard the commotion.  Scrambling up the rest of the 
way, he saw an enormous cloud of dust raised by the panicked antelope as 
they stirred about.  He stared disbelievingly as the hyenas charged into 
the herd, sending the frightened animals crashing off in the direction 
of the lionesses.
	"Oh, no!"  Forgetting the Alba, he launched himself into space, 
grabbing hold of a branch above him and swinging up another level to the 
very top of the baobab.  As he caught sight of the herd again, he saw an 
antelope fleeing into a dust cloud, closely pursued by a lioness.  A 
hyena cut across the dark ground from another direction and vanished 
into the dust at the same time.  A fearful cry of pain arose from the 
swirling debris, along with the sounds of a fiercly pitched struggle.  
Another cry arose, clearly leonine this time, and Rafiki wrung his 
hands, moaning.
	Young Losara lay on her side, coughing and panting heavily in the 
swirling dust.  She shook his head, trying to clear it, and moaned as 
the world seemed to spin crazily.  A terrible weight held her to the 
ground, and she fought to pull her hindquarters from beneath the furred 
form-
	She glanced over at the slumped body atop her and grinned.  She 
had done it!  By the gods above, she had pulled down an antelope on her 
first hunt!  Grinning, she wiped away the dirt from her face, imagining 
the praise her father would heap upon her!
	She froze as the dead antelope moaned and coughed fitfully.  
"Great Aiheu," it grated, "what happened?!"  She stared, eyes bulging in 
horror as the "antelope" raised it's head and looked at her, the 
features of a lioness clear in the bright moonlight.
	Ajenti groaned again as she tried to shift her weight and get up.  
Her whole left side throbbed painfully, and the dust floating about made 
every breath burn in her lungs.  She collapsed back to the ground, 
moaning as her abused body complained fiercely.  "I'm getting too old 
for this."
	Pipkah emerged from the settling dust, cursing at the top of his 
lungs as he saw the form of Losara half-buried under the lioness.  "You 
IDIOT!  I've seen dung-beetles with more brains than you, and they could 
hunt better, besides!  What in Roh'kash's name were you thinking?!"
	Losara's eyes shone with tears as she huddled under Ajenti's bulk.  
"I-"
	"Oooops, I forgot.  Thinking requires a BRAIN, and you aren't 
equipped with one, are you?!"  Pipkah turned and scratched at the dirt 
with his rear paws, showering the young hyena with sand.  "That's what I 
ought to do with you, kiddo!  When your father hears about this, I 
promise you he'll-"
	He was cut off as he beheld the hunt mistress emerging from the 
dust, eyes blazing with unrestrained fury as she took in the downed form 
of Ajenti lying atop Losara.  She paused for a minute, then stalked 
towards the young hyena, who began scrambling madly, trying to push 
Ajenti's bulk away.
	"Oh gods!  I'm sorry!  It was an accident, I swear!" She began 
sobbing uncontrollably as Uzuri drew near.  "It was all dusty and noisy 
and I thought she was the antelope, I mean they're the same color in the 
dark, oh please don't DO IT!"  She tucked her head against her chest, 
shaking with fear as Uzuri stopped next to her.  The lioness looked down 
at her for a moment, wrapped in a terrible cloak of silence.  Lion and 
hyena held their breath, waiting for the blow to fall.
	Uzuri sat up and walked over to Pipkah, who was still cursing 
softly under his breath.  Lighting fast, she drew back and struck him in 
the face, sending him sprawling in the dirt.
	"Great Roh'kash!"  Pipkah picked himself up slowly, blood running 
from his torn cheek.  "Why did you hit ME?!  SHE'S the one who ruined 
the hunt!"
	Uzuri looked at him coldly. "She made a MISTAKE.  You were 
CARELESS."




CHAPTER 46:  THE NIGHT IS YOUNG

	There was no levity on the way back to Pride Rock.  Uzuri was 
going into a slow burn, thinking of a diplomatic way to tell Shenzi and 
Taka why there was no kill tonight.  Of course that was taken care of by 
Pipkah who ran on ahead.  He would find a very undiplomatic way to put 
it, no doubt.  She sighed and resigned herself to the upbraiding she 
would no doubt receive.
	She did not bother going to the cave atop Pride Rock, but went 
straight to her favorite resting spot and flopped on her side.  Perhaps 
sleep would bring some relief if only Aiheu would catch her bad dreams 
on his claws.
	Before she could surrender to oblivion, there was a rustling of a 
small body through the underbrush.  "It better be a cub," she murmured 
spitefully.
	Just then a hyena came trotting out with a large legbone in her 
mouth.  It was Losara.
	"What are YOU doing here!  This is MY bed!"
	Bowing and scraping, Losara whined, "You had mercy on me, ma'am.  
I brought you something to help you sleep."
	She looked at the bone.  "There's no meat on it."
	"Not ON it," Losara said.  She began biting with her strong 
molars, pushing on the middle of the bone with incredible force.  The 
bone began to notch, then crack.  And before long, it split open.  It 
was hollow, and the center was filled with fatty red marrow.  "Try 
this."
	"What is it?"
	"Try it and find out."
	Uzuri took a sporting chance and sampled the marrow.  "Hey, this 
is not half bad!"
	"Not half bad??  It's one of the best parts!"
	She smiled.  "Go get the other leg and join me.  I'm not used to 
eating alone."
	"Thanks, but Ajenti has the other leg.  She deserves it."
	Uzuri smiled.  "I take back most of the bad things I've said about 
you, Losara.  I mean, it WAS dusty and it WAS our first hunt together."
	"You mean there will be others?  After tonight?"
	"You and I.  Leave Pipkah and the others behind and we might catch 
something."
	She laughed uncomfortably.  "That fool Pipkah!  He got his job 
because he makes up stories about his own prowess as a hunter.  Once he 
found a wounded rabbit and killed it.  Every time he told the story, the 
rabbit got bigger and healthier.  By the time he finished, it could 
shove the elephants aside at the water hole."  She looked down.  "He 
made us look like fools out there!  We're good hunters, Uzuri.  We're 
not all like him, but all our best hunters were loyalists."
	"Loyalists?"
	"Loyal to Amarakh, the true Roh'mach.  Ber is one of the best.  
He's a REAL hunt master.  He had this move called Dhourba, the ring.  
But he gets stuck on guard duty in the East Meadow where NOTHING ever 
happens.  All of our best hunters are on guard duty--Shenzi doesn't 
trust them.
	"Why not?"
	"Ber doesn't believe Shenzi is God's annointed.  A lot of them 
don't."  Losara drew close and said in a whisper.  "I'm one of them, 
frankly.  Amarakh was a true follower of Roh'kash.  She didn't like 
lions very much, but at least she was honest about it, not like Shenzi.  
Hon, you can't turn your back on that girl."
	"Believe me, I won't."
	"Amarakh looked like she smelled like she talked like she acted 
like she believed.  And she believed in the true God, not in magic 
tricks and badger words.  Like her or hate her, Amarakh was the real 
thing.  She wouldn't send a fool like Pipkah out there to lead a hunt, 
and she wouldn't sass poor old Sarabi.  Gods, what that lady's been 
through, and all she gets from Shenzi is grief!  And pardon me for 
saying so, but that King of yours is no Prekh Jakrel, either."
	Uzuri didn't know who Prekh Jakrel was, but she got the general 
idea.  She looked in Losara's eyes.  "You know something?  I think you 
are the real thing too."  She stirred herself and rose, stretching and 
yawning.  "The night is young.  Let's go."
	"Where?"
	"Hunting.  You and I.  I'll get you more than a legbone, I 
warrant."
	Losara was delighted.  "Uzuri, if it's just the two of us, let me 
teach you an old custom of our people.  We have a blessing before the 
hunt that we don't usually use before outsiders.  I say `Bih `malan, 
Uzuri,' and you answer, `Bih `malan, Losara."
	"I never thought I'd be speaking hyannic," Uzuri said with an 
embarrased grin.  "Bih `malan, Losara."
	Losara smiled broadly, her eyes looking directly into Uzuri's.
	"And you say?"
	"Oh, forgive me!  Bih `malan, Uzuri."
	Ajenti poked her head through the grass.  "It will take three of 
us to do the Crescent manoever."
	"Yeah!" Losara wagged her tail and her ears perked up.  "Anything 
you say, Ajenti!"

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