When he was hungry, Gur’mekh and his adolescent friends would raid the Roh’mach’s private cache of food. They knew they would be safe, for Gur’mekh could feel a guard coming and escape.
He was a braggart and a manipulator. His perception of others’ thoughts gave him the power of effective flattery and effortless lies. His friends would say that he could charm the feathers off a weaverbird and get handouts from a cheetah. His enemies said similar things, but their language was less flattering.
Though Gur’mekh felt himself superior than his associates, he spoke kind words to them, telling them what they wanted to hear with ease. So he was idolized by the ragtag group that ran around with him, particularly young Jalkort who thought the moon and sun rose solely for Gur’mekh.
Gur’mekh actually loved Jalkort, for Jal’s heart was noble and unselfish, and he believed in the greatness of Gur’mekh’s ideals. To Jalkort, every liberty Gur’mekh took was justified by his great goals.
Once Gur’mekh was angry because Jal was late for the hunt, and he began fuming and complaining to the others. But someone told him that Jal was out hunting him a rabbit for him. Gur’mekh was silent and waited patiently until mid-moon for Jal to come proudly bearing his “surprise.”
“I’m sorry I was late,” Jal said, depositing a fat hare at Gur’mekh’s feet. “The other one was too scrawny. I wanted to get you a good rabbit.”
Gur’mekh looked into Jalkort’s eyes and saw the love there. “My brother,” he said, nuzzling Jalkort, then tearing into the small carcass with more pride than hunger. And from that moment on, Jalkort and Gur’mekh were always referred to as “the brothers.”
Every time something disappeared, eyes would turn to follow Gur’mekh, but no matter how they tried to trick him into admitting guilt, he sidestepped them and always had perfect alibis for himself and his friends.
As he grew older, Gur’mekh’s ambitions rose from simple mischief to power mongering. He wanted a position on the ruling council. Prestige appealed to him, and he had an eye to one day becoming the next Roh’mach. And there were suspicions that his desires reached even higher. To his friends that seemed only natural for the founder of the master race. To them, the world owed him a debt it could never repay by any other means.
He applied to Memnekh for a position on the council. When the old female asked him if he had studied, he replied, “Yes, diligently.”
He listened to her thoughts and every time she asked him a question he would quote back the expected answer. She nodded her head each time, but frowned at him.
“Did I do well?”
“You did too well. I always expect one or two errors.” Memnekh grumbled, but she had to give him the benefit of the doubt. And so he entered the Clan Council under a cloud of suspicion.
Gur’mekh used the thoughts of his enemies and of his prey against them. He could corner better in a hunt than hyenas with three times his age and experience. He could anticipate moves in a fight and rethink his strategy. He was a great hunting master, and assumed the position with a clear right to it. But though he brought in steady meals, everyone was afraid of him.
Actually there was one hyena who was not afraid of him. He was very mentally disciplined and a formidable foe. Demrath, son of Ber. Demrath was a philosopher, great in a fight but even better in an argument. And though he was not gifted psychically, he could best Gur’mekh in either kind of struggle. Just how bitter that strength was hated only became clear to Gur’mekh when Demrath began dating Lenti, the object of his childhood infatuations.
CHAPTER 11: LOOKING FOR LOVE
Gur’mekh loved Lenti. If he had to choose between her and all his other grand dreams, he would have had a hard decision indeed.
Lenti had never liked Gur’mekh, but he determined to do something about that. He exhibited his usual flattery, guided unerringly by his psychic sense, but it rarely got him more than a begrudged ‘oh, hello.’”
Lenti was rarely impressed by flattery, and Gur’mekh’s reputation had preceded him. A shy and quiet sort, she resented Gur’mekh’s attentions. She only loved the quiet and thoughtful Demrath.
One evening Gur’mekh stood just few feet from her bed as she settled down for the night. He regaled her in his fine voice with words from La’kresh:
Come celebrate the moonlight with me, dear
Entrust your magic to my vigilance
And I shall watch over you
Who shall worship your perfect beauty
And wait upon your good pleasure
As I have done in vain my darling
Stars abound in the vault of heaven
But far more beautiful than they
Are the eyes of my beloved!
Cruel is death for the unloved
Who never knew the kind response
To their grand remonstrations
Come to me with willing heart
And let our passions be as one
Pledge to me and stir my very soul!
Lenti came to him and smiled. “Very good, Gur’mekh! You memorized that whole poem just for me!”
“I was hoping you’d like it.”
“I do. I’m crazy about it. You’ll have to perform it at my wedding. Demrath likes poetry too.”
“Demrath?”
“Yes. If I needed an excuse not to marry you, it would be him. I suggest you give up now before he finds out you’re making passes at me. He’s the jealous type.”
This angered Gur’mekh, especially because Demrath was so well liked, and most people thought Demrath would be Roh’mach when Amarakh retired.
Gur’mekh decided that he had sold himself short. “If she does not like my praise, what WOULD she like?”
The next day he followed her at a distance, and when he finally got the chance to speak with her alone (and that was not easy) he strolled to her casually to avoid suspicion.
She sighed in disgust. “Oh, it’s you.”
“Well, aren’t we discrete!”
“I’m sorry. Hello, Gur’mekh. Nice weather, isn’t it? Well, I have errands to run....”
“Your small talk is as good as your manners.” He cleared his throat. “Look, I need you to do a personal favor for me, OK?”
“That depends on what it is--and if you’ll leave me alone for a change.”
“It’s nothing naughty, and yes, I’ll leave you alone for the rest of today if you’ll help me.”
“OK, you’ve made it worth my while. What’s on your mind?”
“I have this problem with my eyes. I think I’m getting cataracts, but I need someone with sharp eyes to see if they’re clear.”
“Why don’t you go to the healer?”
“She doesn’t like me. I don’t think she’d tell me the truth, and if she did, she wouldn’t want to help me.”
“I don’t like you either. Not that it stops you from reciting erotic poems to me in the middle of the night.”
“At least you’re honest. Please, Lenti. You don’t want me to go blind, do you? I mean, you’re getting to marry the one YOU love. You’re set for life. Why should you wish more harm on me?”
“I don’t hate you. I just don’t like you. Sure, I’ll look in your eyes if you promise to behave yourself. This isn’t one of your tricks, is it?”
“If it was, would I tell you?”
“Yes. I believe you would. Bluntness with bak’rets is your one good trait.”
“You’re refreshingly honest.”
“But why here when were alone? That’s what I don’t understand. I know you’ve been following me all morning.”
“I don’t want anyone to know if I’m going blind. Surely you can understand that? And I don’t want Grou’besh to have the satisfaction of knowing I’m worried.”
“She is a bit of a prig.” She smiled and laughed, something that made Gur’mekh light up like the full moon. He admired the light of her ka that shone from her gentle face, and it took all his strength not to melt in front of her.
Lenti came cl
ose and looked into Gur’mekh’s deep amber eyes. “They look fine to me. I really don’t see....”
“Look harder.”
“Oh!”
She froze, her gaze locked into his, staring straight ahead as Gur’mekh fondled her soul, violating her privacy.
“I can see now. You don’t like people who talk too much or brag about their accomplishments. You like quiet males that are good listeners. You like gentleness and shyness, but not TOO shy.” He touched her cheek with his paw, and she gasped. Drawing close until his nose almost touched hers, he searched her with his eyes. “You think I’m shallow, that I have no deep feelings or tenderness. You don’t think I’d ever show my vulnerable side. Now tell me, what is your favorite color?”
“Blue,” she stammered. “Sky blue.”
“You are surrounded by blue. It is filling you like the heavens. It is covering your memories, covering over our little talk. You try to remember looking into my eyes, but it was only the blue, the sky blue. Close your eyes and count to eight, and when you open them, I’ll be gone.”
Lenti shut her eyes, unsure why she felt the need. A few seconds later, her eyes opened. She felt a little disoriented, and shook her head.
She wandered around aimlessly for a while, trying to remember where she was headed. Gur’mekh encountered her.
“Hi, Lenti!”
“Oh, it’s you, Gur’mekh.”
He smiled gently. “You looked a little distracted. Thinking of Demrath?”
“Uh, yes.”
Gur’mekh blossomed into a warm smile. “He really loves you. I would have given anything to make you my wife, but I’m glad to see you found someone else that will make you happy. If he doesn’t treat you right, tell me and I’ll come thrash him.”
Lenti smiled shyly. “Why that’s very sweet, Gur’mekh!”
“I have a personal favor to ask of you, Lenti.”
“Well that depends on what it is, and if you’ll leave me alone.”
He hung his head. “You don’t really mean that, do you? I mean, I didn’t realize you felt that way.”
“Well I....” She was confused and a little ashamed. “What’s the favor, Gur’mekh?”
“We’ve never been really good friends. I know a lot of it is my fault. I’m painfully shy.”
“You??” She laughed.
He hung his head. “Please don’t laugh. I try to hide it. Too hard. I drive off all the really good people like Ber and Demrath. I think if Ber would even say hello to me, I’d shine like the sun. But they all think I’m shallow and callous.” He drew near to her. “I’d give anything for a second chance. Please, Lenti, when you are a respectable married lady, you will speak to me once in a while, won’t you? Or maybe ask Demrath to let me hunt with him once in a while?”
“Why Gur’mekh, I had no idea!” She looked at him appraisingly. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll bring it up. If you weren’t in trouble all the time, I’d have a much better chance of success.”
“I only do those things to fill the hole.”
“What hole?”
“Forget it. You’re just trying to be nice.”
“I’m just trying to understand. Stop speaking in riddles.”
Gur’mekh’s jaw quivered and his eyes misted up. “Lenti, there’s only one thing I’ve really wanted out of life, and that’s happiness. I’ve been denied happiness, so I seek my pleasure where I can find it. Someday it will catch up with me, but till then it gives me a reason to go on living.”
He looked away from her, but she walked around to face him. “Why Gur’mekh, you’re crying!”
“Don’t stare at me!” He turned again and burst into tears. “I don’t need your pity! Forget I said anything, OK??”
Before she could reply, Gur’mekh ran out. He scrambled up the ridge and into the small cave that served as his home. Balling up in the back corner, he began to sob brokenly.
A couple of minutes passed, then predictably Lenti’s quiet tread mixed with his crying. “Gur’mekh?” She nudged him. “Gur’mekh??”
“Oh, it’s you, Lenti.”
“I want you to understand that my heart belongs to Demrath. I don’t think of you as a lover, only him. But I see no reason why we can’t be friends. You, Ber, Demrath and I. Maybe I can even get my parents to meet you. IF you behave yourself for a while and stop these pranks.”
He looked up at her and wiped his eyes. A meek smile began to warm his features. “I’d like that. Don’t worry, I’ll be good.”
“And you could settle with being my friend? You’d understand where to draw the line in this relationship?”
He tapped his lower jaw with his paw. “Yeah. But it’s OK for me to be a LITTLE jealous of Demrath, isn’t it?”
“Well, just a little.” She smiled. “How do you feel?”
“Much, much better. Thanks, Lenti. You know, from now on, I’m just going to be myself. If my friends don’t like me for who I am, then they aren’t really my friends.”
“That’s the spirit! Make a clean break with the past, Gur’mekh. And someday you will find what you’re after. I just know it.”
She smiled, nodded, and trotted away to find Demrath. And as soon as she was out of hearing range, Gur’mekh’s mouth curled into a large grin. He chuckled.
“If Demrath wasn’t around, I’d be here to pick up the pieces, my darling little Lenti. He’d want some nice husband taking care of you after he was gone. Someone like--well--like me!”
Gur’mekh was determined to fulfill his great destiny. He saw Demrath as the largest obstacle in his way. He needed a way to overpower him so he could work on the Roh'mach herself and finally turn his gaze to Pride Rock. And standing by his side would be Lenti.
CHAPTER 12: BLISS BY PROXY
With crushing heartbreak, Gur’mekh watched as Demrath and Lenti pledged to each other in a public ceremony. Sildresh watched her only son take the vows, deeply stirred. Gur’mekh was also deeply stirred, but to bitterness.
The other hyenas, who all liked Demrath, felt they had just witnessed a beautiful event. Gur’mekh only saw that his chosen one--the one he would have made Grand Empress of Pride Rock--was marrying his most hated enemy! Clearly she did not deserve him or the empire, but it was too much for Gur’mekh to put behind him. He determined that one way or the other, he would take his share of happiness.
On the evening of their wedding, Gur'mekh followed the newlyweds to their private sanctuary. What he planned would have made Demrath to fight him to the death. For hiding out nearby where he could hear them, Gur’mekh laid down in the grass. Gur’mekh closed his eyes and quietly mouthed, "Lend me your thoughts, Demrath. Lend me your feelings, Demrath. Let me see through your eyes, Demrath. Let us be one, you and I."
He concentrated until he went into a deep trance. Though his eyes were closed, he could see Lenti’s face through Demrath’s eyes. She was gazing on her husband with mixed joy and shyness.
“Lenti!” Gur’mekh uttered. After a few moments, a smile came to his face. "Oh yes, Lenti!" He took in a deep breath and let it slowly out. With a grunt of pleasure, he rolled over on his back, shedding his own identity to feel more clearly the intoxication of the moment. He chuckled and said, "I bet your boyfriend Gur’mekh is biting his leg over this!"
“Shame on you!” she said. “I really feel a little sorry for him.”
“Sorry? For him?”
“Sure. He’s always wanted the one bak’ret he can’t have. There are a dozen others who’d give their whiskers to get him behind the bushes.”
A fleeting smile came to Gur’mekh’s face. “But not you?” he mouthed.
“No. I said I felt sorry for him, not that I loved him. I only want you. I’ve always wanted you. Now don’t stand there on your wedding night and talk about Gur’mekh! Come to me, darling! You’re my husband--make love to me!”
Gur’mekh pushed anger to the back of his mind as Demrath rubbed full length down Lenti’s side. He gasped, abandoning himself to a passion
that made him drunk with joy. The corners of Gur’mekh’s mouth began to twitch, and his paws trembled. "I love you, Lenti!” he murmured.
“Beloved,” she sighed, swept away by a passion Gur’mekh had only dreamed of, a passion that he could sense but not possess.
“Oh gods, can you feel me tremble!” Gur’mekh shuddered and stifled a cry of passionate fulfillment. The episode felt like an eternity, but in moments it was over. Suddenly his eyes opened and he looked around, expecting to see her beautiful face and feel her lithe body next to his. But he was alone, terribly alone, looking up into the cold sky. He found himself mired in a deep abiding emptiness and, for the first time in his life, very ashamed of himself.
"Never again!” he hissed. “Someday I will have her to myself, but not this way! Oh Gods, I feel so awful!"
Gur’mekh slinked home, more determined than ever to settle his score with Demrath. “Bite my leg indeed! Pfah!! At least Lenti had the decency to pity me!”
But the more he thought about her pity, the more angry he became. “When I’m Emperor of Pride Rock and the world bows before me, she’ll BEG me to make love to her! She’ll beg me just to NOTICE her!” He sniffed in contempt. “And as for YOU, Demrath, we have an appointment to keep.”
CHAPTER 13: CAVE CANUM
Later, when Fabana had grown into a fine young bak’ret, she was tied up outside.
There were many exciting new sights, sounds and smells. She could see the sky again, and it was good. But some of the sensations were not so good. She smelled smoke and saw a campfire. That wakened a vivid and terrifying memory. She could almost hear her father’s screams again and see him thrashing on the ground, a living torch. She backed back from it to the other end of the rope and huddled, weeping in terror.
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