KING BOBO'S SHAME
Kombi eased around the rock with Togo. “What??” Togo asked, exasperated. “Are you going to tell me or ain’tcha??”
Kombi looked both ways and drew close. “Keep it down!” he whispered. “I couldn’t tell you in front of Mom.”
“Oh?”
Kombi smiled. “So help me you better not go spreading this around. First you have to promise not to tell another soul as long as you live.”
“That good, eh?”
“Better.”
“OK, I promise.”
Kombi leaned over and half-whispered, “I promised Lisani I wouldn’t tell anyone else, so you better mean it.”
“Ahem!” Uzuri said.
“Oh!” Kombi looked up. “Uh, hi, Mom.”
“Hi yourself! What makes you think Togo won’t tell when it’s the very first thing YOU wanted to do?”
“Well...uh...I trust him.”
“The way Lisani trusted you?”
Kombi’s ears flattened down and his tail sagged.
“Now what am I going to do with you two??” Uzuri plopped down and sighed. But rather than let her frustration show, she tried a less direct approach. “Tell you what. I have this story I was just coming to tell you. It’s just a little racy, but I think you’re old enough to handle it, especially since Miss Priss is not here.”
Anxious to escape being disciplined, and more than a little curious, Togo and Kombi listened intently.
Uzuri bent down and in a lower voice than usual, said, “Mano and Minshasa went by the river to make love in the evening cool. King Bobo, a curious lion, saw them and rather than turn away he hid in the reeds and watched to amuse himself with their passions.”
“Whoa!” Kombi said. “This IS racy!”
“Do you think you can handle it?”
“Sure! I was just saying it was racy.” He strutted about, chin up. “We’re all old enough here, aren’t we, Togo?”
Togo just stared. “You mean they were getting down?”
Uzuri nodded gravely. “Way down.” She looked at them both intently. “At last, Mano heard his muffled laughter from the reeds and confronted him angrily, that he should surely die.
“Bobo pled for his life, falling before Minshasa with tears that she should have mercy on him.
“Minshasa said, "Peace, husband. He merely finds me beautiful and wants to look upon my body. Let him see me and depart."
"’Your beauty is great, and a lion may wish to look upon it and live for what lion would not wish to look upon your beauty! But he has shamed our modesty!’
“But Minshasa took pity on the miserable Bobo and said, ‘I will send you away with a warning. Never speak of this to anyone, that you may not shame our modesty again, or you shall surely die.’
“Mano was content with the judgment and let Bobo depart in peace. But it was a terrible secret and it burned within him so strongly that he felt he must tell it or burst. So he went to a baobab tree and into its hollow whispered, ‘Behold, I have seen Mano crouching with Minshasa by the river!’ He had a good laugh and felt much relieved.
“Aiheu hears all things, even that which is spoken in secret, and he changed King Bobo, but he was very subtle and Bobo went back to his pride unsuspecting.
“But when the pride sisters saw Bobo coming, one of the lionesses shouted, ‘Look, a gazelle! We shall eat well tonight!’
“Bobo ran with all he had in him, but he was still quickly overtaken and slain by his own kindred.”
“Oh wow,” Kombi said in shock. “Then it’s a good thing I didn’t tell Togo what I heard today, isn’t it?”
Uzuri looked at him wonderingly. “What was that??”
“Sorry, Mom. I’m not telling ANYONE now!”
THE LOVE OF KIGALI AND LISHA:
Ahadi and Akase took Mufasa aside. “Your mantlement is one week away,” Ahadi said with a nervous smile. “You may want to pledge your love to a lioness. It is time for you to know some things before you embark on your life as an adult.”
“Uh, Dad, we already talked about--you know what.”
Ahadi smiled. “You know what? You mean making love? Go ahead and say it. Don’t be shy.”
“OK. We already talked about making love. Remember?”
Ahadi said, “Yes, I remember. But there’s more to making love than going through the motions.” He laughed self-consciously. “Sorry. Bad choice of words.”
“There’s more?”
“Much more, son. That’s why we’re going to tell you the story of Kigali and Lisha. I’ll speak for Kigali, and your Mom will speak for Lisha. My parents did the same thing for me when I was your age.”
“They did?”
“Yes, my son.” Ahadi nuzzled him. “Just sit there and pay attention. You might learn something.”
KIGALI (A LION):
I seek the spring to slake my thirst
To drink from waters pure and deep
And yet I am not satisfied.
Its shining veil reflects my face
A face in love.
I roll back in the fragrant blooms
that cap the new green Alba shoots
And gaze into the open sky.
The candid sun stares back at me
smiling knowingly.
The huntresses peek out at me
from vantage points around the mead
and laugh with scorn at my expense.
“He pines with love,” they say in jest,
and somewhat jealously.
LISHA (A LIONESS):
No prey have I to fill my void
And yet the herds of antelope
Regard me as no threat today
“The huntress has become the prey”
they say amused.
And prey am I for Aiheu grants
that I should know the blissful days
of my receptive period.
I hunger for my lover’s touch
upon my flank.
“Where lies my lover?” I inquire
of my Pride Sisters gathered by,
that I may love him yet again.
They smile at me annoyingly
and gossip.
KIGALI:
Who is there like my lover mild?
So lithe and supple as the reeds
in days of emerald youthfulness!
A golden sunshine stalking me
on the savanna!
I hear soft steps approaching me
and see the ripple in the grass
portending an encounter soon.
Oh gods, it is the careful tread
of my lover!
Like jasmine is her fragrant form,
the fragrance of my lover mild
bespeaking of her inner fire
And like the kiss of morning sun
is her nuzzle.
LISHA:
As springs of crystal water shine
So are my lover’s hazel eyes
Enthroned in flowing tresses soft;
The splendid musky russet mane
of my lion.
“Behold your prey, oh hunter great
Awaiting eager for the spring
That brings the hunter to my throat
So caught and helpless I’ll collapse
in your embrace!”
“Defend your prey, oh hunter great
From jackals gathered round the plain
That envy you the hard-won prize.
But let them not by subtle moves
obtain one scrap!”
KIGALI:
As Bor the monkey pounds his fruit
Upon the tree to free its juice
And savor its elixir sweet
So pounds against my anxious chest
my trembling heart.
The restless tide that vents my breath
Comes in swift waves that makes me feel
Euphoric and excitable.
I come to breathe upon her cheek
and yet she runs!
&n
bsp; My temptress turns in coy retreat
A gold flamingo arched in flight,
Her merry laugh betrays her game
She would prolong the episode
but not escape me!
LISHA:
Far from the crowd whose prying eyes
would violate our solitude
we shall make love among the reeds
Here unobserved by jealous hearts
we shall caress.
So musky is the russet mane
Entwined about his trembling form
And stirring like a thundercloud.
Full bright as stars his hazel eyes
regard me.
So playfully, he swings his tail
and bobs his head inviting me
to wrestle with my lover now.
And laughing softly, I accept
his invitation.
KIGALI:
So warm and soft around my throat
My lover’s arms are seeking ways
to bear me to the verdant grass.
And cautiously I test the strength
of her embraces.
My lover’s arms bring endless night
To bontebok and gerenuk
But bend like reeds before my strength.
And quickly I in triumph rise
above her form.
Still panting from the revelry
I gaze into my lover’s eyes
I tremble like a willow leaf
And feel the tides of my desire
sweep over me.
LISHA:
I call my lover tenderly
And crouched submissive in the grass
To plead for favors from my mate
I sweep away remaining doubts
of my intentions.
As prey defeated in the hunt
Perceives the hunter’s victory
I felt his hold upon my throat!
I knew at last the full extent
of his passion.
As waves of heat at midsun rise
And set the trees to shimmering
I melted in the heat of love
And cried out in my ecstasy
his name.
KIGALI:
Now who is like unto my mate?
A source of every benefit
That gods enjoy in heaven’s bliss!
And falling to the earth fulfilled,
I lay exhausted.
Unto my side I called my love
With stealthy tread she joined my rest
And lithely lay her body nigh
Her lovely face upon my mane,
while I stroked her.
A gentle breeze caresses us
And stirs the jade acacia leaves
That cool the ardor of the sun
Content beside her golden form
I will rest.
Ahadi finished with a smile on his face. He reached over and nuzzled Akase’s lovely body. “My gentle lover.”
“My tender Nisei,” she purred, eyes half closed as he rubbed her full length.
“Oh wow,” Mufasa said, a little trembly in the limbs. “Where did you learn that??”
“It’s a part of your heritage,” Akase said. “It’s been passed from parents to their cubs for uncounted years. I like to think it’s our way of getting you off to a good start.”
“Oh wow,” Mufasa said, still stunned. “That was so neat!”
“I’m glad you liked it.” Ahadi and Akase both nuzzled him and kissed him.
“Oh wow,” Mufasa whispered again. “Is that how you two feel about each other?”
Akase nuzzled her husband. “Honey tree, we used to act out the parts. Of course, as time went on we realized that no two loves are quite the same. Your father and I settled into our own comfortable routine. That’s the way it is with married life. You find in that special someone the missing part of you that makes you whole. So being married is just another step in becoming yourself.”
“Oh wow!” Mufasa said.
“Is that all you can say?” Ahadi asked. “Oh wow?”
Mufasa nuzzled him. “Thanks, Dad. I love you. I love you too, Mom.”
Sarabi looked in the cave. “Good morning, Ahadi! Good morning Akase!”
“Good morning, Sassie!”
Mufasa stared at her. Under the spell of the words, that echoed through his heart, he fondled her with his eyes and thought:
“Still panting from the revelry
I gaze into my lover’s eyes.
I tremble like a willow leaf
And feel the tides of my desire
Sweep over me.”
“Oh, hi Muffy! I didn’t see you there!”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Are you OK?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Uh, yeah?” She glanced at Ahadi with a smile of amusement. “Our next king?”
Mufasa headed out of the cave, and passing by Sarabi, he rubbed her full length and shuddered.
She smiled broadly and said, “Well, good morning to YOU TOO!”
Heart pounding, Mufasa hurried down the path from the promontory, rounded the bulk of Pride Rock and found the cold waters of the cistern. Stopping briefly to look at his reflection, he could hear the words more clearly:
“I seek the spring to slake my thirst
To drink from waters pure and deep
And yet I am not satisfied.
Its shining veil reflects my face
A face in love.”
“But she’s Taka’s!” Mufasa’s feelings stemmed from much further back than he would admit. Never before had he given them a name and dared to say it. “Sassie! I love you! Oh Gods, I’m in love with my Brother’s fiancee!”
With a spring, he launched himself into the icy embrace of his reflection. “Ooooh! Aaaaah! Eeeeee! Ooohhhe!” Splashing about in the shock of the incredibly frigid water, he forgot about romance for the moment.
Isha was passing by the cistern. She looked down at the soggy lion paddling about and shook her head. “Didn’t your parents teach you better?? We have to drink that stuff!”
“Yes, of course, Ma’am.” He grinned sheepishly and swam to the edge. “Sorry.”
DUMA AND OBADE:
“He ain’t heavy. He’s my brother.”
-- Anonymous boy
The fur rose in hackles along Togo’s neck as he glared at his brother. “Idiot! Why did you blame ME for it, Beebee?? Now Mom’s mad at me, too!”
“Hey, I didn’t hear you complaining while we were sneaking up on her.” Kombi grinned smugly. “Admit it, you enjoyed it.”
“Did NOT!”
“Did too.”
“I did NOT, Kombi! And Vianga laughed at me, too! Why did you tell her about the song I was trying to make for her?! It was a secret!”
Kombi burst into fresh laughter. “‘Oh, Vivi,’” he said, eyes fluttering. “‘Your fur is like the sun to me, that sets my heart on fire! Your eyes are like two sparkling pools that fill me with desire!’”
Togo’s vision doubled. “SHUT UP!” he cried suddenly. “I HATE YOU!” He buried his head under his paws, for a moment his sobbing the only sound in the shocked stillness.
Kombi felt something stick in his throat. “Well I hate you too, then!” His chest hitched, and with a choked growl he swatted blindly at Togo. A sudden flurry of paws exploded at him, and the two rolled about haphazardly, squealing and growling epithets that would have shocked their mother.
A loud snarl ripped the air, and they separated abruptly. Sarafina stalked quickly toward them, her eyes flashing in anger. “Stop it right now, you two! What’s going on here?”
“Komb-b-bi’s making f-f-un of me!”
“He said he hated me, Aunt Fini!”
“I DO hate you!”
“ENOUGH!” Sarafina shook her head. “I’ve heard all I’m going to listen to of this. You two apologize to each other.”
Togo’s lip stuck out and he set his shoulders. “No.”
Sarafina stared at him
disbelievingly. “What?!”
“I’m sorry, Aunt Fini, I’m not being disrespectful...but I can’t.” Togo looked at Kombi venomously. “I’ve had it with him. He always makes fun of me when I say what I mean.”
“Oh yeah? Well you always make me feel stupid with your fancy-tail songs and poems.” Kombi looked ready to burst into tears again. “You think you’re better than me. Well, you’re not!” He looked at Sarafina. “I’ll never apologize to him! I swear!”
“Don’t say that.” The lioness sighed and lay down, motioning to them to approach. They did, warily keeping her bulk between them as they drew close to her. “I’d like to tell you two about two brothers who had the same problem.”
“N’ga and Sufa?” Kombi made a face. “I know about them already.”
“Me too.” Togo shook his head. “We’re not like them, Aunt Fini. We’re SERIOUS.”
“And so were these brothers. It is not N’ga and Sufa of whom I speak.” Sarafina settled back, remembering the long ago lioness who had held her in her paws and told her the story of two brothers who never forgave...
Duma and Obade were brothers and were fond of each other. They had a sister, Asherati, by their father Jadi’s remarriage. Obade lusted after Asherati and went to great lengths to seduce her, though it was an unholy thing. He finally forced her and she ran sobbing to her father.
“Forced her?” Kombi asked. “Forced her to do what?”
“Something naughty,” Fini said. “Then King Jadi set out to punish Obade, but the punishment--that he would not be King after him but would defer to Duma seemed too weak a punishment to Duma. Duma wanted blood. Duma argued with his father, but Jadi told him that the judgment was final and sufficient, and that in good lion fashion, he should forgive his brother.
But Asherati kept inciting Duma to hate Obade. “You must kill him to avenge my lost virginity.”
Togo shuddered, and crept close to his aunt, who laid a forepaw across his small shoulders, covering him in welcome warmth. Kombi paused uncertainly, then did likewise on Sarafina’s other side.
The Leonid Saga cotpl-5 Page 5
