CHAPTER:  THE WORLD IS ON FIRE

	Elanna had given up hope.  She was waiting for death by her 
husband's side, no longer clinging to the fiction that everything 
would turn out all right.  But a small group of hyenas told her 
Rafiki had the answer to her prayers.
	They led her out of the cave by great stealth and smuggled her 
away from Pride Rock without being seen by Taka.  And Elanna 
cooperated, stealthily slinking on her huntress feet near several 
lionesses without a sound.  Had she known what awaited her, she would 
have cried out and the hyenas would have been quietly dispatched.  
However, by the time she knew it was a trick, it was too late to call 
for help.  Death was about to claim her, when suddenly in the 
distance she heard a loud shriek in hyannic.  A lion roared--and it 
was not Taka.  Her would-be executioners abandoned her and ran back 
to Pride Rock.  The battle for Pride Rock had begun.  
	Elanna stood in shock for a moment.  She thought of taking her 
chances with the beasts, but the better part of her took control and 
she hurried away from the hyenas into the cover of some nearby trees.  
Suddenly, the sky filled with light and the heavens shook.  Elanna 
had to focus a bit to where the light came from, and saw the telltale 
faint orange and curls of smoke rise from the dry grass near pride 
rock.
	Fixed by her fear, she stood and watched as the long-predicted 
battle raged on.  Her thoughts moved back to her husband, and the 
fight that he must be in right now.  How desperately she wanted to be 
by his side, but she knew that she couldn't risk herself going back 
right now.  She knew that her husband would never want to see her 
hurt.  She did not know if she would be perceived as friend or foe.  
This was evident in how she had never been allowed to hunt.  With a 
small sigh, she stayed among the trees.
	"Help him, Aiheu!  Please!  He has not been perfect--who has?  
But he suffers so!  Help him, God!  If he must face exile, send him 
to me!  I'll take care of him, but don't let him die!"
	Suddenly...the sounds of hyenas filled the air near her.  
Turning her head quickly, she spotted the defeated bands moving 
toward her position.  Quickly, she huddled closer to the ground and 
trees, trying to stay out of sight.  "Please Aiheu..."
	The hyenas passed her without incident, but another sound 
filled the air.  This time, the roar of the lion.  She looked down 
and quietly wept for her husband, suspecting that this lion sent Taka 
to be with Aiheu.  Along with the roar of the new male, she heard the 
roaring of her pride sisters.  She sighed, thinking how happy they 
must be now that they are rid of him.  Still she didn't leave her 
cover.  Her hopes continued that somehow, some way Aiheu guided him 
out of the fight alive.  
	Time passed and the night continued with no sight of her love.  
Finally she saw movement in the grasses.  Without thinking she jumped 
from her cover in the hope it would be him.  She was horrified to 
find  a hyena that has fallen behind of his friends.  Quickly she 
adopted a defensive stance, looking at the beast.
	The hyena caught sight the lioness as soon as she jumped out.  
"Well, Lannie-poo!  You thought you were so much better than us!  But 
you know what?  My mate survived the battle, and yours is lying in 
three separate pieces!  Ripped!  He was ripped like a gazelle!"  The 
hyena laughed demonically.
	Elanna's mind had been prepared to hear this but her heart was 
caught by surprise.  Suddenly she could feel her insides crumble.  
She struggled not to give the hyena the satisfaction of seeing her 
grief.
	The hyena added, "And you know what?  If you go back, you'll be 
next!  Your husband confessed to killing his brother to get the 
throne.  I heard the new king saying that anyone that gave your 
husband comfort would be killed on the spot."  He grinned evilly as 
his lie took its toll on her already fragile nerves and she began to 
sob.
	A tearful Elanna watched the hyena slink away.  She considered 
her options.  She could go back to her home to embrace death first, 
then embrace her husband.  Then the thought of how she would die came 
to mind.  Would she be choked like prey or would the new king rip her 
abdomen and leave her to gasp out her last breaths like Gur'mekh?
	"I'm afraid, Honey Tree!" she cried into the heavens.  "I'd 
come now, but I'm afraid.  I'm a coward, but how I love you!"
	She collapsed to the ground, crying.  But a few moments later 
she heard the soft tread of lionesses in the grass.  "Oh my God!  
They are looking for me!" 
	Quickly, she jumped off and ran into the empty plains, putting 
some distance between her and the land of her birth.


CHAPTER:  THE MISSING HUNTRESS

	In the initial confusion after the Battle for Pride Rock, 
frightened cubs began to come out of hiding and look for their 
mothers.  With a squeal of delight, Isha found Habusu and Lisani 
alive and unhurt.  Other cubs ran to their mothers' sides to be 
kissed and fondled in the flush moment of victory.
	Rafiki thought briefly of ways to purge Pride Rock of the hyena 
smell lions found revolting, but he knew that project was very low 
priority with so many wounds to heal.  Not all the wounds were 
physical, either.  Some of them were deep emotional wounds that would 
take time to heal.  Sarabi sat by Taka's body sobbing to see him laid 
open who had once lived for her affections.  Isha went to the place 
where Jona and Minshasa had died during the drought.  She looked up 
at the rain, a little bitter, then back at the place where they had 
lain in death.  "I hope wherever you are, you know it's raining."
	A few hyena stragglers were left on the Pride Lands but they 
were soon driven back into the elephant graveyard.  In that sensitive 
moment, even the hyenas that sided with the lions wisely retreated 
across the border to let things cool off.
	Finally, as the rain was beginning to taper off, the lions 
began to regroup and let Rafiki tend their wounds.  It was during 
that informal meeting, as Sarabi was searching for the right thing to 
say to Elanna, that Sarabi noticed she was missing.  Since Elanna was 
not in her cave on the rock, no one had any idea where she had gone.  
No one remembered seeing her during the fight.  In fact, it was as if 
she had just vanished.
	Since Elanna had left the cave only rarely, it was easy enough 
to follow her tracks down the side of Pride Rock, but in the wet 
grass, the scent was lost.  Sarabi quickly ran to Simba.
	"Son, Elanna can't be found and no one has seen her since 
before the fight."
	Simba looked to her sadly.  "Form a search party, Mother.  May 
Aiheu guide you."
	Isha pointed out the hyena's hidden cache of food and a few 
morsels of food were taken for quick strength.  But without rest and 
heedless of their own wounds, the lionesses headed out and searched 
the fields, calling Elanna's name.  They knew why Elanna might try to 
make herself scarce.  "Don't be afraid!" Sarabi shouted.  "By Aiheu's 
whiskers, we only want to see you!" 
	After many hours of searching, nothing was found except her 
scent, which was quickly lost again.  Then as the group was heading 
home in defeat, they turned towards some soft moaning in the grass.  
Hoping against hope that it would be Elanna they found instead a 
dying hyena.


CHAPTER:  THE WITNESS

	She had a head wound from a canine tooth that opened into her 
brain.  Her pain was stronger than her fear, and she looked over the 
group whimpering in pain.  Her eyes stopped on Rafiki.  "The pain!  
Oh gods, the pain!  Please help me!"
	Sarabi pushed forward, "Now listen to me, you fiz'lo!  Where is 
my sister Elanna?" 
	The hyena whimpered.  "Help me!  Please!  Please?"
	"We will give you something for the pain," Sarabi said, "But 
only if you tell us what you know."
	Rafiki pushed past her and held out some herbs.  "Take this."
	The lionesses scowled.  Isha said, "Those painkillers should go 
to wounded lionesses!"
	"There is enough to go around, Isha.  They are no great friends 
of mine, by and large, but the poor wretch is dying.  Let me work."
	"Kind ape, turn me to face the east," the hyeness stammered.  
"I want to see Roh'kash."  Rafiki grunted with the exertion, and 
without help from the lionesses managed to drag her forequarters part 
of the way around.  But Uzuri saw the strain on his face and helped 
move the hyeness on around.  She never questioned his motives on 
anything.
	The hyeness started to fade out.  Using a small twig, Rafiki 
cleared the clot of blood from the head wound.  Blood came out, 
relieving the pressure on her brain.  He then held some silvervein in 
front of her nose.  It made her mind work more clearly and she 
briefly opened her eyes again.
	Gently, Rafiki said, "Tell me where Elanna is.  It is too late 
to save you, but you can undo hurt for those who go on living."
	Struggling to focus on his face, the hyeness said murkily, 
"Taka said he'd kill himself if anything happened to her.  We thought 
we had a plan.  Skulk said...."  She grimaced with pain.  "....bring 
me his tail to prove he'd done it.  We carried her to the woods.  Ten 
of us."
	She started to fuzz out again.  He held silvervein in front of 
her nose and stroked her gently.
	"And?"
	"She knew what was about to happen.  Die with dignity....  
Screaming....  Fire everywhere....  The whole world on fire....  
Mer'kh toh embas, doh pekhtureh frogam meklu....  De'h mirchet 
ere....  Immobrek Elanna mes kroth...."
	"What's she saying?" Yolanda asked.
	"Did Elanna die??" Sarabi demanded.  "Common speech!  I don't 
speak that gibberish!"
	The hyeness drew in a breath and shuddered.  "Ten hyenas to 
kill one lioness....  Ten hyenas to kill...."  Her eyes closed.  
	Sarabi put her paws on her chest and shook her.  "Did you kill 
her??  Tell me, damn you!!  DID YOU KILL HER??"  Sarabi put her paws 
on the hyeness' chest and began to slowly sink them in.  Blood sprang 
from the points.  "DID YOU KILL HER??"  Her claws moved slowly down, 
leaving red trenches.  "DID YOU KILL HER??"  Sarabi's voice fell to a 
near whisper and she drew close to the hyeness' face.  "Please?  
Please tell me??  Oh God, I have to know!  Did you kill my sister?"
	The hyeness' eyes opened briefly, though it is doubtful she saw 
much.  Her breath escaped in a long gurgle and her pupils dilated to 
large black lifeless orbs.  A stream of urine ran unchecked down her 
hind legs, forming a pool beneath her shattered body.
	"DID YOU KILL HER??"  Sarabi pounded on her with her paws and 
shrieked, "SPEAK, DAMN YOU!!"  She gripped some silvervein and 
scattered it across the still face in her panic.  "IS SHE DEAD??  IS 
SHE??"
	Rafiki gently but forcefully gripped one of Sarabi's paws.  
"It's too late.  Don't make a scene, dear."
	Sarabi stepped back from the dead hyena.  Her chin trembled.  
"She didn't tell me," she stammered.  "She had nothing to lose.  Why 
wouldn't she tell me??"
	"I think she did," Rafiki said gently.  "I'm sorry."
	"I saw Lannie just yesterday," Sarabi said, still in shock.  
"You know what she said?  She said, `We need to talk.'"
	Rafiki put his arms around her neck and held her.  "You poor 
dear!"
	"She wanted to talk but I said, `I have nothing to say to you.'  
My gods, can you believe I said that to my own sister??"
	Rafiki began to stroke her cheek and kiss her.  "Poor honey 
tree!  Poor dear honey tree!"
	She pulled away from him and headed to the top of a small 
kopje.  "Elanna??" she shouted.  "ELANNA??  CAN YOU HEAR ME??"
	The name echoed off the surrounding hills, mocking her.
	Sarabi's chin trembled again, and she drew in a deep breath.  
"ELAAAANNAAAAA!  PLEEEEASE!!  I'M SORRY!!  OH GODS, ANSWER MEEEE!!"  
She roared and pounded the ground with her paw.  She roared again, 
and the other lionesses joined her.  Tears began to course down 
Sarabi's cheeks, and she stumbled off the kopje, nearly collapsing to 
the ground.  "First my parents, then my husband and my son, now my 
sister!  I've tried to live a good life.  Why does everything bad 
happen to me??"
	Rafiki ran his paw through her fur gently.  "Lannie is with 
Taka now.  That's where she would want to be, Honey Tree.  At least 
you got your son back.  Go to him, Sassie.  He will bring you 
comfort."
	Sarabi kissed Rafiki, then turned and slowly trudged up the 
side of Pride Rock.  "Yes, I have Simba.  Thank the gods!  I should 
be grateful."

Bookmark/Search this post with:

delicious | digg | reddit | newsvine | furl | google | yahoo | technorati