"I know, hon. Shh, it'll be all right." She licked away his tears. "You're just going to spend the night with your auntie Losara, that's all."

Bashak looked up at her, sniffling. "Mama, Skulk's not gonna hurt Habu, is he?"

Losara kissed him gently on the forehead. "No, Bashak. He won't hurt your friend." She raised her head to stare after the departed hyena, her jaw firmly clenched. "Not as long as I’m alive."

Sarafina paused to catch her breath, the lionesses behind her flopping to the ground gratefully. They had been searching for Habusu for hours, and it was now high-sun, when the fire shone fiercely down upon their overheated bodies, sapping them of their strength.

"Fini, " called a voice faintly. Turning, Sarafina glanced behind her. "Yes?"

Yolanda paused, panting heavily. "I don't think we're going to find him here, Sarafina. We're too close to THEM." She motioned to her right. The elephant graveyard lay just beyond, shimmering in the rising heat waves.

"I don't think the little tike would wander in there, anyway. Besides, they can search this area much better than we; their more familiar with the territory."

"I don't have any intention of letting them find Habu, no matter what that mealy-mouthed brute promised. If they did find him, what're the chances of them bringing him back?" She snorted in derision. "No, we'll keep our own counsel when it comes to trusting hyenas."

Yolanda nodded tiredly. "You're right, it's just..." she trailed off, growling with frustration, lashing the ground with her tail angrily. "We've looked for hours. Where is he?! "

Zazu fluttered overhead. “No word here, ladies. I’ve asked the vultures. They are ruthlessly honest, you know, and they say they have not--well, they saw nothing.”

Ajenti groaned as she rose from her resting place. "Well, we'll not find out by sitting on our rumps."

Sarafina nodded in agreement. She rose and moved out ahead of the other two again. Forming a triange, they covered the ground slowly, eyes scanning the area ahead while their heads swept back and forth, searching for any trace of scent.

The sun began its slow inexorable slide westward. The hours passed slowly, their task made increasingly difficult by the shadows which stretched out before them, concealing small niches and crevices from their sight. They finally reached the outskirts of the graveyard as twilight was falling. The hyena guard posted at the perimeter hailed them roughly. "'Lo, there! Who comes?"

"Lionesses from Pride Rock, sir." Sarafina hated having to address the bedraggled creature in front of her as such, but she dared not risk offending them now. "Have you any news of the missing cub?"

He grinned uneasily. "No, dear lady, I'm afraid not. But have no fear, should we find him, you'll be the first to know."

Yolanda's eyebrows drew together in sudden wariness. This guard was far too polite. Moving forward, she interrupted Sarafina's reply. "Thank you, sir. We appreciate the help." Butting Sarafina gently with her shoulder, she motioned them away into the shadowy dark until they were out of earshot.

"What're you doing?" Sarafina raised an eyebrow.

"That hyena stinks of helpfulness. I don't trust him. Let's look around a bit, shall we?" She moved off, paralleling the edge of the graveyard proper.

Sarafina moved up alongside, Ajenti trailing. "Heh, " she chuckled softly. "And you were the one who wanted to let them look-" She stopped so abruptly that Ajenti plowed into the back of her.

"Ouch! " Ajenti rubbed her bruised nose with a forepaw. "What the-"

"Shh! " Sarafina bent, sniffing. Her eyes gleamed in the dim light as her head rose. "I've got his scent! "

Yolanda jerked her head around. "What?"

Without replying, Sarafina headed off toward the graveyard at a fast trot, her nose bent to the ground, almost touching. Ajenti and Yolanda exchanged a look, then hurried to catch up. They followed Sarafina up a rise, stopping when they reached a row of prickly acacia thorns.

Sarafina flattened out onto the ground. Creeping forward, she rolled onto her side, squirming her way under one of the bushes while the others watched, astonished. She had perhaps half her body buried in the dense growth when she stopped. Her voice came drifting back faintly. "What in Aiehu's name..."

Ajenti crept near her. "What is it?"

Sarafina's voice came back, edged with rage. "Oh, they're very helpful. It seems they've managed to find Habusu already; they've just neglected to tell anyone. There's an elephant skull about ten lengths downslope from me. He's sitting in front of it."

A growl rumbled in Yolanda's chest. "Let's go get him! "

"No, that won't work. There's a group of hyenas surrounding him. Too many to fight. At least a war party, maybe more."

Yolanda's eyes grew wide. "All that to guard one cub? What in Aiehu's name is going on?"

Sarafina slowly wormed her way back out from under the bushes. Standing, she shook herself roughly, scattering the dirt ground into her pelt. "I don't know, but we'd better go and tell Simba."

Ajenti shook her head rapidly. "We can't leave him! "

"We'll do him no good if we get ourselves killed. Let's go. I want to be back at the Rock before high moon."

The cool night breeze ruffled the fur of the lioness sitting at the point of Pride Rock. Isha sat quietly, staring unseeing at the beautiful panorama before her, all her thoughts turned inward.

Feeling a touch at her shoulder, she glanced over to see Kako sitting next to her.

"Anything?"

Kako shook her head. "I'm sorry, Isha. Nobody's seen or smelled any sign of him."

Isha nodded and returned to staring out across the dark surface of the ground which lay far below them. A series of small frustrated desires pulled at her heart. It was time for Habu's bath. She ached to hold him, to feel his warm presence near her. She agonized over the thoughts that he may be afraid, that he may be lonely, wounded or hungry. That he may be cold. That he might be calling her name. That he may be begging some enemy for mercy. That he might even be dead, or even worse dying in great pain. Her jaw trembled slightly and a single tear rolled glistening down her cheek, matting the fur. Another followed behind it, dropping free to splash against the cold stone under her feet. "Oh God, Kako, he can't die, he just can't. He's the only cub I have left. I can't lose him! "

“Isha, we have to talk.”

“I don’t know if I can right now.”

“Isha, for God’s sake, I have to know. You made it with my son, didn’t you. That’s his son out there, isn’t it.”

“Yes and yes, ” Isha snapped.

“He was only a cub. You took advantage of him.”

“He begged me, ” Isha said, turning to stare straight into her eyes. “Begged me, Kako. He was on fire.”

“How can you sit there and say that?”

“He’s always wanted me. Taka sent him out there to starve. Baba knew it too.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “Poor little Baba. He didn’t want to die, but the one thing he regretted not doing was being alone with me. He wanted me as no lion ever wanted me, and I gave him what he desired.”

“Out of pity?”

“Pity? No, not just pity.” She reached up with her paw and stroked Kako’s cheek. “I love him. I thought I would yield out of pity, and it started that way. But your son was a lion, not a cub. When we made love....” Isha’s eyes filled with tears. “The things he said to me. How I long to hear them again. I’d give anything if he’d come back to me.” She sighed. “His son is out there. Your grandson. You neglected him. He doesn’t even know who you are. It may be too late to ever tell Habu you love him.”

“I know, and I grieve for him and for you. But oh gods, did it have to be such a tawdry affair?”