Touch of the Nisei cotpl-8

by John H. Burkitt

  “It’s OK,” Elanna said, nuzzling him back. “I’m not offended. I know you meant it all in fun.”

  “Of course, my dear. Of course.”

  Gamu was better than his word. He proved to be an intelligent, polite, and charming companion. That night when the stars winked in, he astounded Elanna with stories even she had not heard; Maku the Hunter, Ari and Kuzima, and the Love of the Evening Star. When Gamu spoke in his rich, well-cadenced voice, even the most improbable of tales sounded as firm as the stone, and as warm as a nuzzle. He touched her emotions with tales of great kings and epic struggles in long ago days.

  Through it all, Kubali sat there jealous and uncomfortable. His own knowledge of star lore was adequate, but no match for Elanna, much less Gamu. And rather than learning something from it all, he merely tolerated it as best as he could.

  Gamu saw the sullen look on Kubali’s face, and to avoid offending his host he left the admiring Elanna to contemplate all that she had heard and caught up on events with Kubali. Gamu listened to Kubali’s story, and in return he told Kubali a great many things. Only he did not mention the hyena Griz’nik or the plans Gamu made with him.

  CHAPTER: THAT CERTAIN TIME

  Elanna had been married to Taka for three years. During that time certain habits had become ingrained in her that were difficult to break. Kubali lay asleep, but Elanna lay wakeful, watching the smooth rise and fall of his chest. She kept her vigil faithfully, and at the first sign of dreams--twitching paws and limbs, she shook him. “Wake up, Honey Tree! It’s all right! Lannie is here!”

  “Huh?? What’s wrong??” He looked around. “What time is it??”

  “About midmoon. You were having another nightmare. I couldn’t stand to see you in torment like that. Let your Lannie make it all better.” She began to paw him, stroking his mane and pushing him gently from side to side. “Feel the tension roll away, my dear.”

  He looked at her askance. “I was hunting gazelles. Just about had one too.”

  “You weren’t having nightmares??”

  “No. I almost never do.” He yawned. “Hey, if you don’t mind, let’s finish this talk in the morning, OK?”

  “Sure.” Elanna’s ears flattened in consternation as she watched him begin dozing again almost immediately. She lay her own head upon her forepaws and watched him surreptitiously, waiting for his limbs to jerk and yank him upright as he howled his torment from the nightmares. Absently she gazed at his side, watching his ribs rise and fall with the gentle tides of his breath. Easing forward, she rolled sideways until her back touched his, assuring herself that any sudden movements on his part would alert her in time. Relaxing slowly, she lay her head down, feeling a faint rumble-purr from him at the contact. The sound lulled her gently down, and she let herself drift away, daring to wonder if she might sleep through the night once again without awaking to a scream.

  Her eyes opened to the pleasant sounds of morning, the twitter of birds beginning to fill the air as the sky reddened in the east. Jerking upright, she looked around to see Kubali washing his face, rubbing his paw busily over his muzzle and mane as he lay a few feet away. He noticed her staring and stopped, smiling at her. “Good morning.”

  “Uh, good morning.” Elanna looked at him carefully. “Are you all right?”

  “Fine.” Kubali frowned. “Shouldn’t I be?”

  “Oh, uh, of course.” Elanna lashed her tail and sat upright. “Excuse me...I need to go get something to drink.”

  Kubali nodded and watched as she padded quickly away through the brush, heading towards the small pond they had passed the previous evening. Footfalls sounded in his ear and he glanced over to see Gamu plodding slowly toward him, yawning hugely. The lion paused and crouched slightly, lowering his chest and splaying his forelegs, claws extending with the effort as he stretched contentedly. Emitting a self-satisfied grunt, he arose again and meandered over to Kubali.

  “Quiet one, that,” he said, motioning to the lioness who was lapping at the water’s edge some distance away.

  Kubali hummed thoughtfully. “And a strange one, too...do you know she woke me out of a sound sleep last night, rocking me like a cub?”

  Gamu’s ears rose upright. “Oh? Whatever for?”

  Kubali shrugged with a flick of his tail. “Aiheu knows...I was dreaming of gazelle. She nearly rolled me over trying to get me to wake up, going on about ‘my torment.’” The lion peered after Elanna, who had finished her drink and was watching the marsh birds flitting about, screeching angrily at each other.

  Gamu’s eyes sharpened as he stared at the back of Kubali’s head. “What did she say?”

  “Something about me having another nightmare...and she was trying to ease my tension.” Kubali glanced back at Gamu. “Have you ever heard such things?”

  Gamu quickly lowered his gaze, his expression carefully neutral. “Only from mothers soothing their cubs...I daresay it’s nothing, my friend.” He smiled ingratiatingly. “She was probably half-asleep herself and dreaming of cubs.”

  Kubali nodded absently, his gaze returning to the lioness who was making her way back towards them. “You’re probably right.”

  “I always am.” Gamu grinned oddly. “Excuse me.”

  As the following days progressed, Elanna began to show the outward signs of a lioness entering her receptive period, and Kubali accepted Gamu’s idea that her idiosyncrasies were just another symptom of that special time which all lionesses experience when their bodies yearn for cubs. Eventually the subtleties grew more and more obvious, and the two males spent their days pacing agitatedly about, growing snappish and irritable.

  Elanna felt guilty about the effects of her heat upon her friend, although she was not responsible for it. Anxious to avoid a confrontation between the two males, she persuaded Kubali that it would be best if they separated temporarily, since a nearby kopje provided adequate shelter and an excellent vantage point from which to scout for prey.

  “Good idea,” he said, relieved. “I’ll sleep up top on the rocks, and you can stay inside that little cave in the side until it passes. Okay?”

  “Okay.” She nuzzled him chastely and stepped away quickly, curling up inside her temporary abode and tucking tail beneath her.

  Kubali ascended the rocks and lay down at the top, sighing uncomfortably as he fought to shove away the memory of the quick lick on his cheek she had given him. “Easy, boy, nothing but trouble there.” He watched absently as the herds moved slowly across the landscape, noting the dark shadows that chased each other across the ground. A heavy rumbling filled the air, and his nose twitched as the thick smell of approaching rain hit him.

  “Oh, great,” he muttered.

  Elanna settled down in a corner of the cave and closed her eyes. She felt lonely and a little depressed. The soft warmth of Kubali next to her had been a comfort she had learned to rely on. She rolled over and reached out her paw to put it on his shoulder, only he was not there. It was the worst time to be alone, and it took her a while to fall asleep.

  Elanna’s nights had been full of bad dreams. She had a morbid fascination with the last moments of her husband, and had experienced them many different ways in her troubled nights. For a change the insistant yearnings in her body changed the course of her slumber.

  “Lannie?”

  “Yes, Taka?” She rolled on her back, gazing up at her husband that loomed over her with that hungry cub look on his face. “Did you want something?”

  Silently, fervantly, he reached down and nuzzled her face, then kissed her throat right above her throbbing pulse. Passionately, he took his paw and rubbed her chest, then passed his paw down to fondle her sensitive belly, awakening sensations in her that made her shiver. He touched the paw to his nose, closed his eyes, and inhaled. “Oh gods,” he stammered. “I’m on fire! Crouch for me, Lannie. I want to make love to you all night.”

  She reached up with a paw and fondled his chest mane. “Give me a moment, darling. Let me get ready.”

  Elanna
lay on the ground in the throes of her romantic dream. Her paws twiched and her jaw trembled. A thin, high moan escaped her lips.

  Suddenly an earsplitting crack sundered the air. Elanna’s eyes popped open. She was alone. Once again, Taka was dead and the remnants of her dream were washed away in the downpour. Lightning flashed again. The world outside her cave was cold and miserable, and she thanked Aiheu for the shelter as the rain descended in solid sheets.

  The drops fell on the dry earth, splashing in small crowns of splendor. After the plunge to earth, the small sprites sought out their friends, joining to form small trickles that merged into rivulets seeking sanctuary from the strange, hard soil. Some clung to stems of grass, turning them to gemmed scepters that swayed in the wind. Lightning lit the sky with infinite diamonds of brilliant lustre.

  A hornbill began to bail water from her nest, her chicks shivering and wet. Lightning framed a couple of meerkat sentries that ducked quickly into their holes. Water ran unchecked into a gopher hole, and the agitated resident came out, looking about in the wet darkness. Nearby a badger slept safely, a drain passage keeping the flood from his bed chamber.

  Kubali wended his way down the rocks to the lee side of the kopje and crouched miserably in the mud, his tail tucked between his hind legs and his bedraggled mane soaked and drooping. A flash of lightning made him cringe, and he wished it would all go away and let him sleep.

  Elanna came to the mouth of the cave and called softly, "Kubali?"

  The faint cry reached his ears and he turned to see Elanna beckoning him frantically towards her. Ears flattened, he padded quickly over, paws sending up small splashes of water and mud. Shivering, he trotted in next to her, grateful for the short respite from the driving rain.

  "Huh?"

  "Hsssh! Quietly. Come in here."

  "But what about Gamu?"

  "What about him!” She looked at him sympathetically. “Gods! You’re soaked! Stay in here until it quits, at least.”

  “Thanks.” He lay down on the rock floor, still shuddering from the cold air, the water forming small puddles around him as his body steamed away the moisture. Clucking reassuringly, she padded over and lay down next to him, draping a forepaw across his broad shoulders and pulling him close, sharing her body heat with him.

  "Don't do that! You'll get wet!"

  "I don't care. Besides, it's my fault you got soaked."

  Kubali had grown used to the feel of her and the scent of her next to him, and he had trouble sleeping alone. He grunted with contentment as her warmth began to penetrate his cold fur. "Thank you, Lannie. You're really very special."

  "So are you." She patted his shoulder and rubbed his side. A smile spread across his face.

  Kubali closed his eyes and sighed as her warmth sank into his wet fur, seeping in and easing the shivers which caused his tail to tremble with their vehemence. Gradually, the heat of their bodies filled the cave, giving it a cozy feeling and relaxing him. A contented purr rolled out of his chest and Elanna answered it, sliding closer and touching her side to his.

  A bolt of lightning struck, and Kubali felt Elanna tense. "Are you afraid?"

  "Well, not actually."

  Another bolt of lightning hit nearby. She clung to him with her paws. "There wasn't much rain where I came from. I'm not used to it, that's all."

  He turned over to face her, stroking her face with his paw and saying, "I'm here, Honey Tree. You're safe. Nothing's going to happen to you."

  "You do make me feel safe," she said, kissing him.

  He tried to kiss her back, but stopped at the last moment. Something about it did not seem right. Then a flash of lightning lit her face. There was fear in her eyes, and it was not all from the storm. "It's all right. Really it is." He gently reached out with his arms and bore Elanna's face next to his own. He put a soft kiss on her cheek and on her forehead. "If you want it, I do too. If you don't, just say so."

  She said nothing, but nuzzled him quietly and passionately, kissing him with the barest touch of her tongue. A purr escaped her.

  Kubali swallowed heavily, his heart beginning to hammer in his chest. “Oh girl, I’ve wanted you for the longest time.”

  “Shhh.” She covered his muzzle softly with her paw, silencing him. Craning forward, she nuzzled him firmly, her warm tongue flicking out and tracing down his cheek in a kiss. “Kubali, do you really love me? Are you sure you do?”

  He nuzzled her passionately, his wet mane filling her with his fragrance. “I was never so sure of anything in my life.”

  She purred, rolling over into a crouch and moving her tail aside. “Come then. Make love to me. I’m yours.”

  His heart pounding, Kubali rose to his feet. He kissed her once again, then trembling with anticipation gently took hold of her shapely neck in his jaws, stepping across her supple golden body.

  The rain came down furiously. The lovers’ muted cries were muffled somewhat by the pouring rain, but Gamu listened intently and missed nothing. He cringed with every soft moan and cursed his luck, both the rain and the passion lost to another. Staring at the dark opening with narrowed eyes, he bared his teeth and trembled. "Damn you, Kubali! Damn you to hell!"

  He listened until he could bear no more, then stalked away stiff-legged with rage, the rain filling the depressions he left in the soft earth.

  CHAPTER: AFTER

  Elanna laid on her back, forepaws tucked neatly on her chest as she lay nestled against Kubali, basking in the delightful warmth of his body and listening to the soft patter of water dripping outside. The cool evening breeze tugged gently at her fur and she shifted slightly, the mane of her beloved falling gently about her face and shoulders. She inhaled his scent and smiled, a small secret smile that intrigued him.

  “What is it?”

  Her eyes lidded, she looked at him and purred softly. “Oh nothing.” She lifted a forepaw which could snuff the life from an impala with one blow and gently caressed his face. “For the first time in a long while I feel safe.”

  He answered her throaty purr with a low rumble of his own. “You are safe, Elanna. Now and forever.”

  “Not Elanna. Lannie. Remember?” She smiled up at him and kissed him.

  His eyes sparkled. “Lannie, then...do you know how beautiful you are to me right now?”

  Her tail lashed in embarrassment and she looked away shyly. “I’m not beautiful.”

  “You’re right.”

  Her eyes turned to glare at him. “What??”

  “You aren’t merely beautiful.” He drew a paw along the side of her muzzle, tracing the soft line where her fur lightened. “Sunsets and flowers are beautiful, but they don’t inspire love. There must be another word for this.”

  A nervous laugh escaped her. “The word is lucky. Do you really think I’m attractive?”

  “No.”

  She glared at him again. “Will you make sense?”

  “I don’t have to think so. I KNOW so.” He nuzzled her again, more intensely this time. “I wish I were a flea so I could spend my life on top of you.”

  “Oh, don’t say such things!” She giggled, enjoying his attentions. She lay her head back, purring louder as his rough tongue bathed her throat, immersing herself in the waves of pleasure he was inciting in her.

  “I wonder what our children will be like?”

  Elanna tensed. Her eyes opened in alarm and she twisted to look at him, but his expression was far away and dreamy.

  “Uh...it’s a little early to think about--”

  He grinned at her, the sight so overwhelmingly beautiful it stole her breath away. “Just think of it Lannie! Our children...” He glanced down absently at his crossed forepaws, as if contemplating a squirming cub there.

  “But I thought that would be an awful burden on you. You have no lands of your own, and you’d have to support your children.”

  “I don’t mind! They would be OUR children. They’ll be safe and well fed, I promise you! I’ll take such good care of them and love them, my
darling.” He looked at her again and beamed. “And they’ll all be as beautiful as you.”

  Lannie wore a look of pain. Abruptly, his expression melted away like water steaming under the hot son. “Lannie? What is it?”

  Tears were coursing down her cheeks as she stared unseeing out the darkened entrance to their cave. “I can’t talk right now!”

  “Elanna?” His voice took on a frightened tone. “Elanna, what’s wrong?” He raised a paw to touch her and flinched in surprise as she jerked away, her eyes burning.

  “DON’T TOUCH ME!” she shrieked.

  “I’m sorry! What did I do? What did I say??”

  “Leave me alone! Please, just go away!” Elanna lurched into motion, leaping up with such violence that her hindpaw struck Kubali in the face, dazing him momentarily. He shook his head, fighting to clear it, only to see the empty savanna stretching before him in the night.

  “Lannie?” He rose and paced out worriedly. “Lannie! Please come back!” He swallowed heavily, fear gripping his heart and making him giddy. “Oh gods...LANNIE!!”

  The subject of his concern was just over a rise, her own sobs too loud in her ears to hear him. “M-My love, I’m sorry...oh gods, Taka, I miss you so much!” She choked back a cry and looked down at her forepaws. “I wish you were here.”

  A soft touch brushed her shoulder and she growled unsteadily. “Damn it, Kubali, I said leave me alone!”

  “You summon me and dismiss me in one motion?” A warm voice chuckled behind her, making her eyes widen. “Come, Lannie, make up your mind.”

  She whipped around to behold a dark maned lion surrounded by a soft glow of starlight. “Taka??”

  “Yes, it’s me.”

  “Dear Aiheu, how I’ve missed you! I’ve been so alone!” She swept forward and collapsed against him, feeling his soft fur and breathing in his dear, familiar scent, now touched with wild honey.