Akase was a little sharp. “What on earth made you say that? Of course he loves you. Look how you hurt him! ” She softened her tone. “Honey tree, what ever made you think he didn’t love you?”

“Well I....” Taka could tell her the truth, but she would know he had spied on his father. He struggled with the burden for a moment, then said, “I was just asking, that’s all. I’m sorry.”

Quietly, Taka went over a secret list of every foolish thing he’d ever done, wondering which one condemned him to be second place for life. Was it the time he sneaked away without telling Mom? Was it the time he pulled that practical joke on Uzuri and she got so upset with him? Maybe Uzuri told Dad, even though he’d begged her not to? Should he have the nerve to ask? No. Of course not. He was not even supposed to know anything about it. Besides, after his Dad told Muffy his decision, it would be too late to change anything.

It was nearly noon, time for Taka's nap, but Mufasa gamboled up like a box of rubber balls, so full of cubhood enthusiasm that he was about to burst. His mood was contagious. "Taka, you just gotta see this! "

"Gotta see what?"

"What is it, son?" Akase purred. "Another hedgehog? A meerkat perhaps?"

"Well, it's--" His tail twitched. "Yeah, a meerkat."

"What's so great about a meerkat? We see them all the time, " Taka said, sulking. "It's almost noon. It's hot enough to melt your brain, if you had one."

"But this meerkat is DIFFERENT, " Mufasa said with a sly wink. Taka saw the way Mufasa's tail twitched, something that always happened when he told a lie. He half-smiled with a toothy, wry grin.

"Different, eh?” Taka was shaken out of his self-pity. “Well, I guess so. Is it okay, Mom?"

"If you're back soon. You’ve been kind of under the weather today."

Almost before she could finish her sentence, Mufasa and Taka bounded off like a shot, startling a flock of noisy guinea fowl into a conniption. They headed through the deep grass of the plain, stopping once in a while to stand up above the grass like furry jack-in-the-boxes.

Deep in grass though they were, young Sarabi saw them fording the broomsedge and knew there must be something up worth seeing. She hurried across the rocks and plunged into the green waves. Before long, she joined them, panting.

"So what's up?" Sarabi asked.

"Oh, nothing, " Mufasa said. "We were practicing--stalking." His tail twitched.

"Every time you're up nothing, " Sarabi said, "You're up to something."

"We are going to look at--a meerkat, " Taka volunteered.

"A meerkat?" Sarabi asked, a little unconvinced. She saw his nose twitch, a sure sign that he was lying.

"Well, this one is different, " Taka said.

"Then I want to see, too, " Sarabi said.

"Good work, lame brain, " Mufasa half-snarled. He cuffed Taka soundly on the cheek. Taka growled and cuffed him back. These were done with the claws in, like the well-bred lions they were, but they started wrestling full-tilt.

Muffy was stronger, and he fought cleanly. Taka was a determined opponent, and before long he started snapping at ears and tails. As the fight threatened to turn really ugly, Sarabi started running little circles around them, distressed.

"Stop it! Stop it right now! " Sarabi was highly indignant. "We'll never see that stupid old meerkat at this rate--if there ever was one."

She had no effect. The snarls began to sound more serious. Taka was losing, as he usually did, but he wasn't giving up. "Say Uncle!"

"Not till you--ow! --stop calling me names! Just cause you're bigger than I am doesn't make you smarter! "

Sarabi shouted, "I'll tell your mother if you don't stop! You're both lame brains sometimes."

"We're just funning, " Mufasa said, on top.

"Yeah. We didn't mean anything, " Taka said, wiggling out from beneath, and giving Mufasa one last hard swat with his claws out.

Sarabi looked Taka over, and seeing a small spot of blood on his right ear felt very motherly, began to clean it with her tongue.

Taka could always count on her sympathy, but he wanted to look more grown at the moment. "Doesn't hurt."

"You're bleeding."

"Oh, it's nothing. Really."

"Yeah, really, " Mufasa said, cleaning a nasty cut on the back of his paw by himself. "Well, if you insist on coming, there's this honey badger near the forest. He's white--whiter than clouds. You remember when N’ga and Sufa were fighting over that white lioness because she was magic and could grant wishes?"

“You mean Minshasa?” Taka thought a moment. “Oh yeah! But you can’t marry a badger. Or can you?”

“I don’t want to marry it. I only want a wish.”

“What are you going to wish for, Muffy?”

Mufasa smiled an embarrassed smile. “That’s why I wanted you to come. I want you to sit with me when I join the great kings of the past. Dad wants me to be King when he dies.”

“I heard him. I was hiding behind a rock when he told you.”

“You shouldn’t spy on people, ” Mufasa said sternly, but he added, “Maybe you won’t be a king in this life, but if the badger really gives wishes, you’ll be a king when you die.”

“Really?” Taka was in transports. “You’d do that for me? What a neat idea! ” He was very demonstrative, and he nuzzled Mufasa. “You’re the best! You said wanted to give me half of the Pride Lands. I heard you.”

“Yeah. But it’s not going to happen, so don’t tell anyone I said that.”

“I won’t. It doesn’t matter now, but it was really neat. You’re the best, Muffy! ” He laughed and took a swat at his brother. The two of them got into a wrestling match, giggling and squirming. Both of them did their utmost, butut as usual Mufasa quickly won, pinning Taka.

Mufasa had to smile a little inside. He was glad he didn’t wish for something selfish. Still holding Taka down, he said, “Look, when Dad tells you I’m the new King, you act surprised. You’d better. You know he’d cuff you good for spying on us.”

"I want to be where Taka is, " Sarabi said. "Either I get to sit with Taka, or I'm telling on both of you! "

“That’s going to be my wish, ” Taka said. He squirmed out from under Mufasa, went and nuzzled her. “Now what are you going to wish for?”

Sarabi gave Taka a quick tongue touch on the cheek. “You’ll find out.”

With this settled, the three cubs headed toward the burrow at the edge of the acacia grove.

The entrance to the burrow was a forbidding black hole. Mufasa started to enter it, but the opening was barely large enough for a regular cub to squeeze in properly, not really enough to maneuver in. Mufasa was a bit large for his age, and he had no hope of getting down there. He suggested that they call the badger out.

“Hello in there! ”

There was no reply.

“Come out, badger. I can hear you breathing in there, so I know you’re at home.”

They waited several moments. Nothing happened.

“Let’s go, ” Sarabi said. “Looks like he’s a no-show.”

“Wait. I think he’s holding out on us.” He yelled down the hold, “I'm Prince Mufasa—I’m going to be King someday, and I’m making you my prisoner. If you want to get free, you’ll have to bless me and my friends! "

They could indeed hear the sound of muffled breathing coming from the depths of the tunnel. Carried by the walls of the burrow, it sounded loud like the sound of the sea in a shell, and it was quick, almost urgent and upset. They didn't know if he was afraid or angry.

"Maybe he's deaf, Your Majesty, " Taka said with a laugh. "You pulled me all the way over here for a hole in the ground? I bet it's a rabbit. Just a scared little rabbit! And YOU called ME a lame brain! "

"But there was a white badger here, honest! " Mufasa looked at Taka, then at Sarabi. "You do believe me, don't you? I mean, does this smell like a rabbit to you??"