“Yes?”

“It is Pride Rock, Your Majesty. It is the source of your life. If you flee, it will mean your death.”

“Oh?” Taka’s ears perked up. “My death?”

“Yes, Sire. Game is scarce, and rain is sparce, but if you are faithful and remain, the rain will fall and the game will return.”

“Good! Very good! And I was just talking with Shenzi about moving. You tell her what you told me, my girl! ”

“I will, Sire.”

Shimbekh bowed deeply and left his cave. Stepping out into the savannah grass, she wondered what would come of this. But she did not have a clue. The future was a sense, like hearing or sight was to most hyenas. Suddenly, as if she had gone deaf or blind, she had only the present moment for the first time in her life.

The feeling of isolation terrified her. She looked into the sky and tried to concentrate. “Please, o gods, don’t forsake me! Please don’t forsake me! She made me do it. She made me do it! ”

She felt panic, and ran back to her cave where Makhpil awaited her. How she would tell her, Shimbekh did not know. But before she could say a word, Makhpil looked into her eyes. “It’s gone, ” she said balefully. “What have you done, Shimbekh?? What have you done??”

The heat was oppressive. Taka was standing on the promontory of Pride Rock to catch a slight breeze. It had not rained in weeks, and the sun had cruelly scorched the ground. It was as if Aiheu himself had been angry with affairs and decided to show it. Rafiki watched the land dry up, but he was confined and could only rarely intercess for a few drops. The waterhole was just a muddy little remnant in the middle of the cracked, dry plain. It was patronized by elephants, who were not overly afraid of lions. They trampled the mud into the water and left it almost unsuitable for drinking.

Khemoki, Incosi of the Zebra’ha, led his people in for a drink from the shrinking pool. Filling the view were a series of elephant backsides forming an unbroken wall.

“Ahem! ” Khemoki said. He waited a moment longer. “Ahem!!! ”

There was no response.

He tapped with his hoof impatiently, then nudged one of the backsides. “Madam, do you think you could move your billious grey carcass and let me drink??”

The elephant stirred, but when she looked around her expression was anything but helpful.

“Put a cork in it, sweetcheeks.”

“I say! ” He looked around in a huff. “Whinny, old girl, did you hear that? We don’t have to stand here and be insulted! We can jolly well find us another water hole out of this God-forsaken neighborhood.”

“Hear hear, ” one of the zebras cried. “Good show, Milord.”

The Pride Lands were desolate. The songs of birds had long since gone from the trees. What few animals still trudged across the parched grassland stirred up dust in their wake. Vultures cruised the skies in search of prey where eagles and flamingos once soared. And still it did not rain. There were no clouds. There was no hope.

Taka waited for news from Gopa the stork. Gopa had none of the charm or polish of Zazu, but he was extremely thorough.

When the large bird arrived with all the grace of a wounded flamingo, he bowed and said, “Sire, the Zebra’ha, have left the Pride Lands. The Incosi decided that grazing is better to the north, and besides it’s too dangerous with the hyenas and lions together. To be precise, Khemoki called them ‘That demmed rabble.’”

“Didn’t you try to stop them??”

“No, Sire. I only report the news, I don’t make it.”

Yet another irritating fowl had made Taka’s short list. “One of these days, ” he thought, “I’m going to wring that long neck of his.”

No more zebras. That joined with the fact that the Wildebeests were gone and the antelopes had skipped out left the land in a sorry shape.

Beesa was out in the hot sun of midday with some other lionesses. They were risking their life with each stone they overturned with their paws, hoping to capture a lizard or snake that may hold body and soul together. Isha, panting, looked up into the cloudless sky. The sun beamed back with a vengeance. “Aiheu, why have you forsaken us? I think I’m going mad.”

The insufferable heat made the image of distant trees ripple like reflections in a pond. When the wind did blow, it stirred up dust and made little difference in the feeling of discomfort.

Beesa heard something rattle in the grass. She froze, held up her paw, crouched and sprang. “Ow! ” She bit at the large rat that had latched on to her paw. Only when its head was crushed in her powerful jaws could she work the sharp incisors out of her flesh.

“Look, ” Isha said. “Sis caught something! It’s a big rat. Look how big it is! ”

“Correction, ” Beesa said. “It caught me.”

“Still, it’s big enough for you--ahem--and maybe a lucky relative?”

“Yes, Isha. Some lucky relative like my daughter. She gets the whole thing.”

Uzuri said, “Beesa, I’ve always thought of you as a second mother. Would you adopt me?”

“Me too, ” Isha said. “The least you could have done was eat it yourself. Then I could have called you selfish and resented you.”

Beesa licked her paw to clean the wound. Then she took up the rat and trotted back toward her home on Pride Rock. Her paw was not very sore. If the gods were with her, her hunting would not be affected.

Lisani saw her mother and ran to meet her.

“What’cha got?”

“It’s a rat, ” Beesa said proudly. “It’s all yours.”

“Ewww! A rat! ”

“You should be glad to get it. The little bugger tried to eat me first.” Beesa sighed and said, “Look, if you promise to eat some of it, I’ll make a special effort tonight to get you something really nice, OK?”

“OK, I’ll try.” She tried a bite, found it was not so bad, then famished fell on the rest of it. When she finished, there was nothing but some skin and bones left. “Mom, I wouldn’t even mind another rat right now. I’m still hungry.”

“I know, dear.” She began to groom her little girl. “Just remember, when things can’t get worse, they can only get better.”

Uzuri sat quietly, trying to ignore the constant gnawing in her stomach as she watched the progress of the setting sun. As the top of the crimson disk sank below the level of the treetops, she rose and padded over to Isha.

"Gather the party." She looked at the sky hopefully. "We'll try again tonight. Maybe Aiheu will yet show us mercy."

The younger lioness shook her head as she stood. "Not as long as that fool makes us stay here, " Isha growled.

"Shh! I'm not sure if that's treason or blasphemy, but hold your tongue. Taka's spies are everywhere! "

"Treason or not, it's the truth." She trudged away slowly, her tail dragging dejectedly in the dust as she headed off to rouse the other lionesses; it was time to hunt.

Uzuri sighed as she stared after her. The trouble was that Isha was right. Taka's refusal to allow the lions to leave Pride Rock and seek out more fruitful hunting grounds was going to be the death of them. Already some of them were beginning to show signs of emaciation, their ribs standing out clearly against their pelts, once sleek and shiny but now dull and drab from the lack of nutrition. Shaking her head despairingly, she rose and crossed over to where the others now stood assembled.

Sarafina rose to greet her. "Uzuri, " she whispered urgently. "I've got to talk to you."

"Of course." She looked at her curiously. "What is it, Fini?"

"We can't go on like this much longer. Why are we getting ready to hunt?"

"You want to eat, don't you?"

Sarafina snorted. "Of course, but I don't want to die for my supper. All we found on our patrol this morning was a small herd of elephants. You more than anyone should know how hard it is to cut a calf out of the herd and put it down."