Until the final dark days of Taka’s reign, most of facets of pride life continued to operate, but in a more subdued and somber manner. Cubs were born, Beesa died and was duly mourned, a lioness came of age and earned her annointment of blood and a lion was given his mantlement.

Toward the end, however, there was not so much life as existence. Thoughts turned toward Aiheu and the life beyond the world of Ma’at. Before the futile mockery of a hunt that almost never succeeded, Yolanda would lead her pride sisters in prayer and nuzzle each of them `tearfully, not knowing if they would all return safely. One of them, a young female, broke ranks during the hunt and ran madly for the border screaming “Aiheu abamami!” She was never seen or heard from again.

Since that fateful escape, patrols of hyenas enforced a no-hunting zone near the borders, making it more difficult to abandon the crumbling kingdom when the borders and a new life were calling alluringly.

And yet Nala did. “If I don’t come back by next moon, don’t try leaving one by one. Settle on one night and leave as a group. Fight like fire and fly like the wind. Let Taka and his hyenas rot together, but for God’s sake go!”

She was determined to get help. Indeed, by the grace of Aiheu she received it.

Simba’s return infused the pride with new life and hope. The hyenas were gone--at least the ones that supported Shenzi--and fairness returned to the conduct of life. Without Taka’s violent mood swings, Simba was a very accessible King, and day by day the pride sisters saw in him the marks of his father. To say there was none of Ahadi in Taka would be unfair, but only Elanna’s tenderness could look inside and see it within him.

But there was no change overnight in the bleak landscape. Animals that avoided the boundaries of the pride lands in their migrations now felt confident to walk across Simba’s land rather than detour through Ugas’ and Mabatu’s kingdom.

Getting them to stay was another matter. One-who-brings-rain visited the land when the evil had been driven from it. The fertilizing drops quenched the dying thirst of the land and wakened seeds long buried in the desolate soil. Those sparks of new life realized the fulfillment of Aiheu’s promise, and they ached for long overdue freedom, straining at their bonds and breaking free to push up new leaves for sunshine and fresh air.

Within a few days, the brittle gray savanna began to show a green haze that tinted the bases of last year’s burned grass. And within a moon, the appointed time for the escape, lush grass was thriving on the nutrients in the ash strengthened soil. Antelope and zebra came to graze on the verdant treasure. Giraffes plucked new green shoots from the wakening acacias and rabbits began to clear out old burrows of their ash and mud. And to the careful ear, the sound of singing birds broke the long silence with messages of hope and joy.

The golden tide of rebirth was climaxed by Simba’s roar from the promontory. “Listen all of you! Nala is with child!”

Togo and Kombi once thought all males were like Taka. Simba’s good natured sense of humor and gentleness made a deep impression on them.

In particular, they watched the way he treated Nala, and the way she reacted to his attention. They were curious about this sort of relationship which seemed to bring Simba so much happiness.

Their mother nodded and smiled. “That’s the way I feel about your father. Someday you’ll have a wife and cubs, and you’ll be that happy.”

That was probably the most she had ever told them about having a father, and she made no signs of elaborating on that statement. But it did stoke their hopes somewhat.

Isha thought she was in for another prank when Togo and Kombi showed up at her resting place.

“What are you up to this time?” she asked, somewhat impatiently.

“Nothing,” Kombi said innocently. It was when he looked like he was not up to anything that Isha suspected him most.

“And why are you up to nothing by my spot? Go do nothing somewhere else--I’d feel much safer.”

Undaunted, Kombi sat in front of her. “It’s like this. You know how moms are. They won’t tell you any of the good stuff.”

“Oh?” Isha’s ears flicked forward. “And what is the good stuff?”

“Lionesses. You know--lionesses.”

“Yeah, I know.” She folded her paws and the tip of her tail twitched. “Do you want to be more specific?”

Kombi looked at a loss. He glanced over at Togo who looked equally nonplused. “Just start talking and I’ll tell you when you got it.”

Isha laughed. “You mean....” She drew close and whispered, “....lionesses?”

“Yeah!”

“Well, why didn’t you say so in the first place!” Isha spread her claws and groomed the end of her paw nonchalantly. “That’s a big topic, but I’ll fill you in. You see, there will come an age when you will be walking along big as the world and along will come this cute little lioness. You’ll stop in your tracks and stare at her, and even though you’ve seen her dozens of times before, she’ll look different to you because you’ll be looking with different eyes. You’ll think that she’s special somehow, and you’ll want her to think you’re special too.”

Togo and Kombi watched her raptly, their full attention riveted by the topic. “What happens then?” Togo asked.

“You’ll know when it happens to you. It’s nothing to be ashamed of or afraid of. It’s Aiheu’s gift to you to fall in love with someone. If that someone loves you back, it’s even more wonderful. That’s the kind of love that brings light out of the darkness.”

“Neat,” Kombi said. “When is it going to happen to me?”

“That’s one thing I can’t tell you,” Isha said. “When you finish going through puberty, you’ll understand.”

“Thanks,” Togo said, rubbing against her. “Has it ever happened to you?”

“A few times,” she said, smiling coyly.

Armed with all the information they needed, the experts in love went on to other pursuits like playing tag and baiting a poor hedgehog to distraction.

The hedgehog was protected by spines which hurt their paws. They were not old enough to know to tip the unfortunate beast over and attack the underside, but they were old enough to age the hedgehog several years in a few moments.

Finally the hedgehog darted into some reeds and skirted away.

“Darn,” Togo said. “I was hoping we could keep it.”

“And what would you do with it? Teach it tricks?”

Just then, Vianga came slinking out of the grass with remarkable grace for a lioness in that long-legged age. “Hi, Togo.” She smiled at Kombi and winked. “Hello, hot stuff.”

“Uh, hi Vivi.”

She strutted past the two lions with a flip of her tail that brushed the tip of Kombi’s nose.

Togo watched the playful ballet of her shapely thighs as she headed on to the watering hole. His mouth hung open.

Kombi said, “It just happened.”

“What?”

“I finished going through puberty.” He got up and padded after her.

“Hey Kombi, wait for me!”