CHAPTER 3: SUMMER LIGHTNING

CHAPTER 1: NOT LIKE US

The leopard’s family got the gout

From eatin’ too much speckled trout;

His Mammy dreamed of polka dots,

That’s how the leopard got his spots

-- “Song of the South”

Amana’s forbidden love had borne fruit. She wandered the hinterlands with three hungry cubs. Tending them alone, she had to scramble to hunt and protect them from danger while teaching them lessons they needed to survive. She considered herself unfortunate.

In the same area was a leopardess named Jaha with three hungry cubs. She took her position for granted, tending them alone, scrambling to hunt and protect them from danger while teaching them lessons they needed to survive. She considered herself blessed.

Nature destined the lioness and leopardess to have an uneasy relationship. Amana and Jaha competed for much of the same prey. Whenever Amana saw a carcass hanging in a tree, she would say, “May your teeth fall out!” And when Jaha saw a carcass lying on the ground, she would say, “May the jackals gnaw your bones!” Still Amana and Jaha were large cats, a tie they could not ignore or depreciate, and from time to time, the two would banter gossip from a safe distance. Often on the hunt Jaha would call out from her perch in an acacia tree, “Where is the prey tonight?”

“Do you think I would tell you?”

It was their little joke. But when food was involved, the jokes stopped.

One day, Amana smelled carrion. She cautiously led her cubs forward to a point, then told them to hide in the grass and not move. There was no telling what had made prey, or if it was still around.

Jaha saw the lioness coming. She raised the fur on her back and tried to look large and threatening, but she only weighed half as much as Amana. For honor’s sake, she fought a brief one-sided tussle with her mighty opponent, but her determination was not as strong as her common sense. Jaha could not afford a crippling injury.

Amana waited till she was sure all was safe, then she called to her cubs who sprang out of cover. They did not eat meat yet, but they understood it meant life to their mother.

“Why did we take her food?” Jamili asked.

“If I don't eat, there's no milk for you.”

"How about the leopardess? Does she have cubs?"

“Probably so.”

"Are they going to go hungry?"

"Probably not. She'll hunt again."

"It doesn't seem fair. I mean, you could hunt again."

“Jamili! That’s not very kind! Don’t you want me to eat?”

“Yes, but....” Jamili looked down. “I mean, you always tell us to be fair. Like when I pushed Kata down and wouldn’t let her up. You said....”

“I know what I said. Sure, we have to be fair to each other. But honey, that’s a leopard. It’s different with her.”

“Why?”

“Well--if we were in a pride, we’d be able to do lots of things we can’t do now. I told you all about living in a pride. You’d have someone to take care of you when I went hunting, and we could afford to be more fair to other people.”

The cub thought for a moment. “Why don’t we join up with the leopardess and make a pride??”

“Yes!” Kata said. “Please, Momma! Let’s do it!”

Amana saw a small insurrection forming. “Honey, don’t talk nonsense!”

“But it would work! Really! She could be our auntie, and we could play with the cubs.”

“That sounds very sweet. And I love you all for thinking it. But leopards are different from us--they wouldn’t want to run in groups even if you asked them. They just don’t care for others the way we do.”

Jamili sulked. “It just doesn’t seem fair.”

The mother, in an attempt to be lighthearted said, "OK, so it's not fair. I'm bigger than she is and I wanted it. Satisfied?" She stopped eating long enough to fence with the cub, gently pawing him as he took his best swats at her. Then she shoved him down firmly but gently. "I’m bigger than you are, too! But with time that will change. I love you, you little squirt!" Kata and Hamu pounced on her and began to tug at her ears. Her patient humor had saved the day and peace had been restored.

CHAPTER 2: HUNGRY

Jaha the leopardess finally returned to her cubs and collapsed with a hare in her jaws that afforded her precious little strength to produce milk. Her cubs mobbed her, nursing her and rubbing her face, bringing a laugh of affectionate mirth from her tired features. A low grunt of contentment welled up from inside her, and her eyes half closed.

“Did you behave yourselves while I was gone?”

“Sure did,” the young male said, not releasing her teat. “We saw this funny monkey....”

Jaha winced. “Don’t talk while you’re nursing! That hurts!”

The male cub padded over to her face and snuggled under her chin, rubbing his small face on hers.

“All right, Honey! I’m not upset. Really. You go get your milk before your sisters drain me.”

He kissed her, then hurried back to his place, shoving aside his two siblings who grunted with irritation.

With care not to disturb her cubs, Jaha drew what nourishment she could from her small prize, and thought about the large kill she had been driven from. “May your bones crack,” she muttered half-heartedly. It was hard for her to feel very angry with their tiny mouths gently caressing her stomach.

A leopard passed by and saw her there. "How are you doing, Little Mama?"

She smiled. "Fine, Little Papa. You wouldn't happen to have some meat to spare, would you?"

He nodded. "Just a little. What's the matter? Game wasn't scarce last time I looked."

"Neither was that rogue lioness. I was close enough to taste that antelope, but I didn’t get a single bite.... She cut my shoulder."

He nodded gravely. "I'll see what I can do. That may be precious little." He nuzzled her, then went on his way.

The rogue Amana was too wary to wait for the leopard’s response. If he attacked her on the ground, she would have the advantage, but if he attacked from above, he could come hurtling down on her from the trees like a vengeful thunderbolt. The only things that frightened her more than the leopards were the lions. And so she stayed in the edge of the forest, rarely venturing onto the savanna of her birth. A few times she had taken her cubs into the marvelous expanse of grass to acquaint them with their heritage, but it was always done quickly and with fear. Survival in the forest was their main priority.

She surveyed her small territory with a light tread and a firm stare. Amana was a kindly soul and a good mother. She wanted her cubs to have fun and feel loved before their youth slipped away forever. She always took time to play with the cubs, but offered them special attention to reward good behavior. She would play a game with them or tell them a story. Sometimes it worked, but sometimes it did not, and the cubs discovered that a miserable whine and a downcast face could reap the same reward.

As quickly as she could, Amana bolted down large chunks of meat while the cubs sat patiently nearby.

Jamili, the more adventurous one, crept up and looked at the warm meat suspiciously. Then he ventured to sniff of the raw, tart smell of antelope blood.

“How do you eat that stuff?”

“It’s not bad. Someday you’ll like it too.”

He cautiously flicked out his tongue and touched it. His nose wrinkled. “Ugh!”

“Maybe you’re too young for it. Later when you’re more grown up, you’ll like it.”

It was a challenge he could not turn down. He bit into the red flesh and pulled at it. Using his back teeth like shears, he freed a large bite. And overcoming his reluctance, he chewed the musky wad and eventually swallowed it.

“Oh, look at my big boy!” Amana cooed. “How was it??”

“It was....” He sat a moment with blood running down his chin. “....not half bad.”

Amana laughed gently. “Well now, you’ve taken a big step today. Someday you won’t nurse anymore. You’ll just eat meat like your father did.”

“For the rest of my life??” he said, disgusted.

“But for a while you can have all the milk you want. OK?”

He smiled a relieved smile. Then he saw his mother’s ears flick upright. “What’s wrong??”

“Hsssh! Listen!”

The distant sound of hyena laughter was beginning to get closer.

“We have to get out of here,” Amana said. She did not have to repeat herself. As she rushed away from her bounty, the antelope was destined to feed a third owner. Indeed, as Amana had told her cubs, there is no fairness between species.

CHAPTER 3: SUMMER LIGHTNING

There was a storm cloud gathering. The sky was leaden gray and the restless wind smelled damp.

Jaha called softly to her cubs. “We need to head for the shade tree. It will ward off the worst of it.”

“Can’t we go to the cave? That tree drips!”

“You know there’s a ratel in there. It’s too dangerous.”

“But he’s littler! You can run him out!”

“Smaller,” Jaha corrected. “And smaller doesn’t always mean weak. The tree will do just fine.”

Amana also called to her cubs. “It’s going to rain,” she said.

Her cubs complained--they didn’t like getting wet. But the lioness was delighted. Rain meant new green grass, and that meant more game.

Lightning began to strike in the still-dry air. Her cubs came and huddled against her as the terrifying flashes were followed by loud, hollow booming. It struck the ground in several places. Amana herself was not fond of lightning. Well she might not be, for one of the bolts struck dry dead grass….

A zebra colt walked over to the growing golden flame. He started to prod it with his hoof, but his mother called out in alarm. “Keep away! Keep away!”

The dry season had left the grass parched and turned the stalks to tinder waiting to explode into flame. The strong wind fanned the fire and carried sparks far afield to spawn new patches.

Jaha the leopardess sniffed, then looked at the sky. “Oh gods,” she gasped.

“What’s wrong, Mother?”

“We’re going to have to get you to safety! The fire is coming!”

The leopardess grasped one of her cubs by the back of the neck. In a heart-stopping ascent, the cub was whisked off the ground and up the trunk of the tree. The shrieking cub was deposited in a high fork of the tree and left there. “Now don’t you move a muscle!”

“I won’t! I p-promise!”

Jaha turned to head down the tree for the others.

The flames quickly spread, driving all kinds of wildlife in a panic run before its deadly embrace. Amana had lived through brush fires before, but she noticed with panic that the fire was all around them. There was no knowing where was safe to go in the confusion. Then she thought about the water. The fire would not go there.

“We can make it to the river,” she said, trying to remain calm. Fire was all around her and to reach the water she would have to lead the cubs through a maze of small fires lit by wind blown sparks. She could not afford to look too worried.

“In here!” Hamu shouted. He ducked into a small burrow under a mass of thorn bushes.

“Get out of there!” Amana shouted. “Come out at once!”

“But the fire’s coming!”

The other two cubs ducked in behind him. Amana went to the hole and looked inside. “We have to get to the water!”

All she heard in reply was frightened whimpering. She was about to call them again, but noticed with horror that the wall of fire was closing around on all sides. The thorn bushes caught flame on one corner.

Weaverbirds fled shrieking from nests within their old fortress. It had been a safe haven for them, but within seconds, the entire huge mass of dry vegetation was an inferno.

“Come out!! Oh gods, come out!!” She tried to force a reassuring tone to her voice. “We can swim to safety, but you have to hurry. Come out—NOW!”

The heat from the dry vegetation was overwhelming. Firmly she said, “Come out right now or I’ll give you a good cuffing! Do you HEAR ME??” Suddenly, the mass of material made a cracking noise, and in a shower of sparks, began to collapse. Amana turned to face the oncoming flames. She sprang high and far, reaching a gray, smoky patch. Picking her way from patch to patch, she avoided the flames and made it to the safety of the river.

Jaha lay on the ground where she had fallen, whimpering. It was not the pain from her injured hip that made her cry out, but the oncoming wall of fire. Kaharabu was safely in the crown of a tree, but the two females where huddled next to her. She took Tamani by the scruff of the neck, and with a supreme effort struggled to a half-crouch. She looked at the tree and with a desperate lunge sank her front claws into the bark. Her hindquarters answered with an agonizing denial, and she dropped the cub to shriek. Her hip was broken.

“Momma! The fire’s coming! Momma!! Help us!!”

“I’m trying, Tami! I’m trying very hard!”

“But it’s coming closer!” Tamani began to squeal. “Oh gods! We’re going to die! We’re going to burn up like grass!” She began clawing ineffectively at the trunk in a desperate attempt to climb. “Mommy, Mommy! Help me up!”

Jaha attempted to boost the struggling cub upward, but Tamani just slid back down. “Use your claws, honey! Dig in and hold!”

“I’m trying! I’m trying! Help me, Mommy! Help me!”

Tamani lunged desperately and tried to sink her claws into the tree bark. For one moment she remained suspended vertically, then she panicked and lost her grip. Halima climbed on her recumbent body and tried to use it like a step, but she had no better luck.

Jaha worked herself around where she was lying on her side. In a calm voice, she said, “Tamani, Halima, come here my darlings. Just lay down and nurse me. You have time for a quick meal.”

“No we don’t! We have to get out of here!” Tamani said.

“Everything’s going to be fine. Lay by me and I will wish the flames away for you.”

“You can do that??”

“It’s very hard, but I can. I did it before, once long before you were born.”

“Really??”

“Yes, really.”

Her calm voice reassured them, and they reluctantly settled down to nurse. A tongue of flame drew close to her forepaw, and she moved it away. “Don’t look up now, but I think it’s working. The fire’s going back in the other direction.” She stroked them with a paw, flinching slightly as a couple of glowing sparks landed in her fur. “Yes, it’s going to miss us. Everything’s going to be OK.” She looked about at the wall of flame closing in on her. “Just nurse for a while and let me feel you close to me. I love you so much. So very much.” She looked up in the crown of the tree and saw Kaharabu’s small face staring at her wide-eyed. His small mouth was open to speak, but she shook her head. A tear ran down her cheek and she silently mouthed, “Don’t watch, my love. Look away.”

CHAPTER 4: THE BURROW

It took a long time for the flames to subside. Probably not as long as it seemed to Amana, however. She went to the burrow site. The hole was covered with ash and charcoal where the thorn bushes had collapsed and burned. She worked furiously to clear away the rubble and locate the hole. “Hamu? Jamili? Kata??”

No sound came from the burrow.

She called louder. “Hamu! Jamili! Kata!! For the gods’ sake, answer me!!”

For a moment she wondered if they were still in there. Maybe they had fled at the last moment. But her hope was dashed by an odor coming from the hole. Mixed in the strange odor was the recognizable trace of her cubs and it was strong.

She began frantically digging. “Hamu!! Jamili!! Kata!! Come out!! Oh gods!!”

She saw a tiny leg. Tenderly but urgently she grasped it in her jaws and pulled a cub from the hole. It was Jamili, sooty and reeking of ash. And he was terribly still. "Jamili!! My little baby!!"

She licked his face and nudged him in a vain attempt to get his small eyes to open. “Jamili!! Wake up, dearest!! Wake up!! It’s your Mommy!!” She finally nipped him--hard--bringing a small trace of red blood. It was no use; Jamili was dead.

The other two cubs were still trapped. As much as it hurt, she had to leave him behind and attend to his littermates.

Frantically, she returned to the hole and dug. She worked quickly, throwing brown dirt onto the gray pall of ash. Before long, she brought out tiny Kata’s body. She still had a look of fear frozen on her face. "Kata?? Darling??" Amana licked the tiny face with desperation and shook her with a paw. There was no response.

In shock, she turned at once to the hole and looked at the small golden tail that protruded. With a sudden yank, she sent Hamu tumbling out of the hole onto the scorched ground. His eyes were open, and for a brief moment Amana’s heart skipped in a rush of hope. "Hamu! Oh my dear sweet Hamu! Wake up, sweetheart!" She nudged him. "Hamu?? Look at me, Hamu!!" The small face stared unblinking, but it was the motionless stare of the dead.

Amana backed from the three cubs. There they lay side-by-side in death as they had once been in life. "Oh my gods, they're all dead! All of them!" She ran back and shoved them with a paw. "Wake up! Oh gods, please!! Wake up!!"

They lay unmoving.

She fell to the ground and shrieked. "Oh gods, not my children!" She rolled on her back and sobbed. "How can you do this to me!! They were all I had!! Gods, help me!! Don't leave me like this!!"

Maybe this was her punishment for leading on the Pride Male and then crouching with a rogue. Even if she had once let Mabezo take her down, her cubs might have been spared. In looking back, she could remember the many kind and loving things Mabezo had done for her. Indeed, he was smitten with her once. How he had humbled himself before her, promising her the moon and sun if only she would let him make love to her! And she had said, "Soon." She delayed him time and time again with, "soon." Apparently she did it once too often.

She did not want Mabezo as a lover. Was that enough reason for her to do what she did? Might she have learned to love him? Perhaps that very moment she might have laid in the grass beside her husband and heard his loving voice as the cubs played around them. The more she thought about it, the worse she felt.

Utamu was gone. Now his children were gone as well. But surely the gods would not have punished the innocent children?? No, she had to deny it or lose her faith in them.

She laid for a while in the barren ash-covered field looking at the empty hole. Pulling Jamili’s still-warm body next to her, she stroked it tenderly and felt her sobs die down to an occasional spasm. Only that morning he had tried his first meat. Still, he was too young for such a grown-up thing as death. Too young to be away from his mother on long, lonely nights. Who would tell him stories? Who would reassure him when he cried?

Amana was waiting for something to happen--what it was, she did not know. How long she spent there, she could not tell. It may have been minutes or hours, but eventually the warmth went out of his small body and he began to feel cool. It was a sign—it was time for her to go.

When she could finally stir, she kissed their small faces one last time and left them for the scavengers. She had no romantic notions about death, and she left while they were still intact.

Wandering about in a daze, Amana saw that the fire was a fickle mistress, one who burned large patches with her ardor, but left others completely untouched. And in the burned places were other small victims. A palm squirrel lay huddled in a small ball, moaning from the huge gaping fly-infested burn on his back. Possibly if she looked long enough there would be something large enough to interest her.

She smelled a strong reek of burnt fur and flesh, and headed for the source looking for a meal. What she saw was the leopardess Jaha, her scorched lips still pulled back in the hideous snarl of her death agony. Beside her were huddled two dead cubs.

Vultures had also arrived. They lost no time in heading first for the delicacy of her eyes which they fought over before ripping open her belly. They showed mild interest in the two cubs, but once their eyes had been pecked out, they turned and concentrated on their large prize.

Wandering about aimlessly was a third leopard cub, a small male. Ironically he was untouched. He watched with a blank stare as the large birds dismantled what was left of his family. Mercifully he was too stunned to feel the full measure of grief.

Amana started away in horror, but the cub, seeing her, tried to get her attention. "I'm hungry," he said rather directly, sitting in the ash of a grass tussock. "Do you have any milk?"

No one would be feeding her cubs that night. She felt a surge of pain penetrate her numbness and knot her stomach. She turned and fled sobbing across the ash-strewn desolation.

CHAPTER 5: THE DEVASTATION

By herself, Amana collapsed into a ball of misery and reflected on her loneliness, now all the greater. First her mate had died. Then her pride had rejected her. Now her cubs were gone. Tears came like rain, and with them the soot-darkened clouds opened as nature wept, washing down the landscape and fertilizing the dry ground with its life-giving power.

Amana wallowed in self-pity, as well she might. The faces of death would haunt her the rest of her days. "There was nothing I could do," she said, more as if she were trying to convince herself than as if she believed it. "There was nothing I could do. The fire had come, and they wouldn't leave the hole! I had no time to dig them out!"

Just then, having trailed her, the leopard cub said, "I'm hungry." She turned and saw him, his spotted pelt soaked with rain and marked with ash-fed mud up to his belly. "I'm so hungry! Please help me! Momma’s dead." He began to sob. "Please help me!"

"I'm sorry, I just can't. Go away and leave me alone!"

She fell to the ground and began to count her options. She could try to go home. Mother would be glad to see her, at least. Maybe after the fire they would have pity on her and all would be forgiven. She would see if she didn’t still have the power to melt Mabezo’s icy wrath with her smile and charm as she once did.

But the leopard cub would not stay silent. "I'm so hungry! Please help me! I’m scared!"

She looked at the cub. Her cubs were fair, he was black spotted. His nose was black. He even smelled different. Still, she saw the tears in his eyes. She wanted to block out the sight. After all, he was just a leopard. A lioness would never suckle a leopard cub. Leopards were enemies, competitors. They didn't even behave like decent cats. Living in trees, stalking about alone without a law or a structure. Kind of like her for the past few months, to be sure.....

She looked at the cub, and tears began to run down her face for her own cubs. She patted the ground with her paw, then laid on her side. "Come here, Chui (“leopard”)."

The cub came reluctantly at first. The lioness was as strange to him as he was to her. Still, her voice was gentle, and her look was motherly. He trundled up to her, crouched by her belly, and seized one of her teats, drawing the warm milk into his wet, shivering body. She was soft and warm and the gentle fondle of her paw on his back soothed his jangled nerves. He nursed for a long time, kneading her abdomen to keep the flow coming, then when he was sated came and lay with his head tucked under her chin. The lioness never told him she would adopt him--she didn't have to. He lay pressed against her body and wept softly. The lioness began to sob, holding the tiny furball to her with a paw as her body shook with grief.

CHAPTER 6: NIGHT TERRORS

By that evening, the sun had come out. The smell of fire had been washed out of the air and Chui began acting like a normal leopard cub, assuming that Amana could guess how one acted. Chui took to her right away, showering his savior with all the affection he could muster. In return, Amana responded like a normal lioness, becoming protective of her spotted ward and answering his calls with patience and kindness. There were some adjustments in store for both of them, but for the unlikely pair life clung stubbornly to the same pattern it had followed before the fire.

But the night brought with it time to contemplate the new order of things. Time came for Jamili to ask for his usual bedtime story and for the first time he had failed to do so. Chui snuggled next to Amana’s soft belly to sleep, but two awful gaps were left unfilled. For a moment, Amana felt absent-mindedly to pull her other cubs close to her but her paw explored only open air. She rested her paw on the leopard cub and idly stroked his soft spotted fur until she could fall into a troubled sleep.

Amana’s brief courtship with sleep did not last long. Her sensitive maternal awareness was pricked by the soft sounds coming from the leopard cub. She awoke to see him moaning, his paws twitching and his eyelids fluttering.

Amana gently shook him. The moaning got louder, and his eyes opened with a start. He sprang on her screaming, “They’re on fire!"

"It was a dream," the lioness said.

"Mom’s on fire!!" The cub ran about in tight, frantic circles in the moonlight. "We gotta get away!"

"It's too late," Amana said. "It’s over. She's gone."

He looked at her and remembered where he was and what had happened. His desolate eyes began to puddle with tears. He took in a deep breath and wailed, "I want my Momma!" As quick as he could take breaths, he let them out in high-pitched protracted shrieks that pierced Amana's heart and startled a flock of ravens into raucous flight.

The lioness came and lay next to him, pushing him to her side, rocking his tear stained face with a paw, and fondling him gently. "I know you're lonely. That's OK. We're both sad now, but the gods are going to help us through this." Tears began to stream down her cheek and she was wracked by sobs. "Please oh gods, help us through this!"

“I want my Momma!”

“I know, Chui! I know!” She kissed the leopard cub. "I want my cubs! Honey, you can’t have everything you want, so you have to learn to be happy with what you have.”

“I’m trying,” Chui stammered, “but I want my Momma! It’s not fair!”

“Few things are,” Amana said, nuzzling him desperately. “But you need another Momma and I need another cub. Somebody out there brought us together, and we should go on with our lives and be glad.” She rolled on her back in anguish and moaned plaintively. “I hope they went to a better place. Somewhere that they’re not hungry or frightened or alone.”

For a long time, they huddled together and wept miserably. In a sad sort of way it felt good to express their anguish rather than keeping it bottled up inside. Then when the sobs died down to an occasional sniffle, he looked at her. “What were their names?”

“My sons were Hamu and Jamili. And I had a little girl named Kata. That was my mother’s name. No one else knew what their names were. I was afraid I’d die someday and it would be like they never existed, but they DID exist and they were beautiful and funny and loving and soft and they deserved better than to choke to death in that hole!"

The cub kissed her and snuggled closer still under Amana’s paw. "I saw my Mom burn up,” he said in a halting voice. “She fell out of the tree, and she couldn’t climb anymore.” He shuddered. “My sisters were screaming.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“Momma told me not to look, that I’d have nightmares, but I had to look. I just had to.” He began to cry. “Will the dreams ever go away?”

“Poor Chui!” Amana began to give him an affectionate grooming with her warm pink tongue. “The dreams will go away. But they won’t always be bad. I dreamed about my cubs, and it was a very happy dream. They were nursing and it was so real I swear I could feel their little mouths pressed against me.” She paused a moment and said, “Chui, what was your mother like? Was she like me?”

“Yes. She was nice--like you. Her name was Jaha.”

"Jaha," she said softly. "That's a beautiful name. I wish I had been kinder to her." Tears began to run down her face. "What did she call you?"

Timidly he said, “Kaharabu.”

“I love you, Kaharabu.” She cleaned behind his ears, kissed him again, then said, “Let’s get some sleep, my little Chui. And don’t worry—if you have nightmares, I’ll wake you up.”

CHAPTER 8: CAT IN A TREE

Chui’s heart enshrined a pure and deep love for his natural mother that would endure forever. And from time to time, he paused in his play to sit sullenly or even softly weep for his dead family. But his young heart could not deal with the weight of grief all the time. He began to think about the present more and more, and the past less and less, till by the end of the first week, his life had practically normalized.

Amana had experienced some healing as well. Between Chui’s love and the demands of hunting, most of the time she could deal with the death of her cubs by not dealing with it. She would smile and lavish affection on Chui, then she would go in pursuit of large game with focus and determination. Once in a while when she could not crowd out her grief, she would make the pilgrimage to the burrow where they spent their final moments and lie quietly as the tears stained her cheeks. But those moments were getting further and further apart with the passage of time.

Without siblings, lion or leopard, Chui spent most of his time with his mother or in solitary play. That made him look all the more forward to his father’s visits. And it made him prize all the more the one thing his mother couldn’t give him--climbing lessons. Fahari gracefully stepped in to Jaha’s role, coaxing Chui up the tree with praise and cajoling. Amana watched the full grown leopard with amusement as he pranced about on the branches shouting, “Whee! Boy, isn’t this fun! Come on up, Kaharabu!”

Chui huddled against his mother, watching his Dad’s apelike antics in the tree with mixed fear and longing.

“Why don’t YOU come up?” Fahari called down to her. “See, son, even your Mom likes to climb trees.” He motioned at Amana. “Show him how much you like to climb, dear.”

Amana had not climbed but twice since she was a cub. She sucked in a deep breath, let it out slowly, and lunged at the trunk. Her foreclaws sank deeply into the bark, and she pulled up, scrambling for purchase with her hind feet. As soon as she could plant them firmly, she shoved with her hind legs and grasped again at the trunk with her forepaws. Half a length off the ground, she clung to the tree in a panic.

Fahari came to her in a disconcerting vertical posture, head down. They met vertically, nose to nose, and he smiled at her. “You’re doing wonderfully,” he purred softly, kissing her gently on her nose. “Keep your eyes on me. Don’t think about the ground. Just look into my eyes and follow me up.”

With supreme skill, Fahari backed up the tree, keeping his eyes on Amana’s face. The lioness took his advice, taking heart from the compassion that radiated from his eyes and the half smile that blossomed more fully with each gain of altitude. Before she knew what was happening, she had reached a hefty branch and pulled herself upon it. Fahari’s smile was full and heartfelt, and he nuzzled her softly. “I’ll make this up to you. I’ll bring you an antelope.”

“No need. I feel so proud of myself! I haven’t seen a view like this since….” She looked away from him and scanned the distant horizon through the branches. Then she looked down at Chui far below. She gasped.

“Don’t fall apart on me,” Fahari whispered. “Call to him.”

In an unsteady, thin voice, she said, “Chui! Come on up! It’s fine!”

Fahari shouted, “Isn’t it fun up here!”

Amana stammered, “Yeah, right. Uh—Chui—uh—I bet you could climb up easily. You’re a leopard. Show Mommy how leopards climb trees.”

Chui forgot his fear and ran to the base of the trunk. He began to ascend with an almost casual series of grasps with his needle-sharp claws. Fahari smiled and said, “That’s my boy!” He moved on up the tree to make room for the cub.

Amanda panicked. “Stop it, Fahari! You’re shaking the whole tree!”

Moments later, Chui joined her on the limb, swelling with pride and nuzzling his mother’s anxious face. “We did it! We did it!”

“Sure we did, honey! You’re my brave little leopard!”

Chui beamed and nuzzled her again. “Now show me how to get down!”

“It’s just like getting up, but in reverse.” Amana looked down, then tensed. “Fahari, why don’t YOU show him how to get down. And do it real slowly so he’ll catch on the first time.”

Fahari smiled. “Anything you say.”

CHAPTER 9: UPS AND DOWNS

Chui’s first halting effort to climb soon led him to discover a leopard’s obsession with vertical space. Someday he would literally rule his territory from side to side, front to back and top to bottom. He became a master of the art of climbing with a speed that both astonished and dismayed his lioness mother. She liked to keep him close by, but there were times when that was not possible, and her attempts to climb usually ended in disaster.

Chui understood her limits all too well, and being a cub he was inclined to test them on occasion. Once when Amana was very angry with Chui—and that happened rarely—he quickly went up the nearest tree.

“Come down here this instant!” she cried. “I said you were going to get cuffed, and you are!”

"No way!"

She locked eyes with him and glared harshly. “It’s going to happen sooner or later, and if it’s much later, it will be much harder.”

Chui had picked a tree that stood alone. There was no quick escape route from tree to tree, and anyhow he was too young to run away from home. He knew he was done for.

He crept down reluctantly and stepped before her, his eyes closed in an agony of anticipation, his teeth gritted, his tail high, his legs shaking. “Go ahead. Let’s get it over with.”

His pathetic expression of fear and agony touched her. She said, "Chui?"

“Owwww!”

"I didn't cuff you yet!"

"Go ahead. Let's get it over with!"

"I'm not going to kill you, you know. You just have to realize that bad deeds have bad consequences. When you're on your own, you won't have me to make everything all right when you're in trouble."

"I know," he said through clenched teeth. "I learned my lesson, Mom. Do I still have to get a cuffing?"

"I promised you that if you didn't stop, I'd cuff you. I always keep my promises."

"Even if I tell you it's OK not to?"

"Even if you do. Someday you'll thank me for this."

His eyes were still closed. His teeth gritted. "Please make it quick."

She drew her paw back and gave him three of the lightest possible taps. "Ohe! Ow! Oww!!" His eyes opened. He realized that she actually was patting him. Chui saw the smile on his mother’s face, and love surged inside him. He came and put his small paws around her face and nuzzled her. "Thank you!"

"I love you too. But the next time you do that, I'm going to wear out your backside."

Amana left for the stream to quench her thirst, her little leopard cub in tow. It was a beautiful day, a slight breeze ruffling the trees, and the chirping of weaverbirds filling the sky.

“What’s that?” Chui asked, glancing in the bushes.

“That’s a flycatcher.”

“Do they really catch flies?”

“Yes, dear. In a way they are like us. They hunt to survive.”

“Next time you have a kill, do you mind if I try some meat?”

“Sure, Hon. It’s about time you did. Jamili had eaten….”

Chui knew not to press his mother for details when she suddenly stopped like that. “I’d like to,” he said quickly.

“Well today you’ll learn something new.” Amana recovered her cheerful mood gracefully. “I hope we catch something good. Different kinds of prey present a variety of flavors. All of them are pretty good when you’re hungry, but some are better than others. My personal favorite is—SNAKE!!”

“What??”

Amana stopped in her tracks, looking at the long black and tawny ringed form that dangled its head from a low branch. A little further down the branch, Fahari looked up and grinned with innocent amusement. “Look out, leopard tails are deadly!”

Chui giggled and rolled on the ground. Amana merely gasped, not sure if she was more angry, relieved, or frightened. “Don’t DO that!”

“Don’t be cross. I have a kill nearby.”

“How near?”

“Very near.” He pushed aside a branch, revealing a full grown gazelle cached in the fork of a rather tall tree.

“How do you do that??”

“It’s just a natural talent. We all have our gifts.”

“May I have a haunch?”

“You may have more if you need.”

Amana purred deeply and licked out her tongue quickly in his direction. The meaning of her gesture was clear to him, and he responded in kind. “My dear.”

“You’re really very sweet, Fahari. I wouldn’t take your kill, but a haunch would be nice. Little Chui wants to try some. Well, I shouldn’t call him LITTLE…he’s starting to act so GROWN UP.”

“Great! And isn’t he growing like bunchvine! I bet he’s a paw taller if he’s a day older!”

Chui beamed with pride and strutted about.

“I’ll pull it down for you,” Fahari said. “I’m sure you’ll want to haul it away.”

“Not really, dear.” She enthusiastically sprang for the trunk of the tree and sank her claws into the bark. With much huffing and puffing, and more than a couple of missed toeholds, he still managed to do a respectable job of climbing to the low branch. With pride and more than a little affection, she headed out along the branch to her protector. She drew near to him with the pretext of grooming his face, but whispered, “Fact is, it’s nice to have someone more my own age to talk to. I can’t talk with Chui when I get worried, you know. We mustn’t worry him.”

“What do you worry about?”

“Right now I’m raising a small cub all alone.”

“All alone?” Fahari asked, a little reproachfully.

“Well, not all alone. But when I have to leave him to hunt, I’m terrified. There are so many dangers out here. Cheetahs, hyenas and leop....”

“Leopards?” Fahari nuzzled her softly. “Amana, I patrol this territory. I wouldn’t let anyone hurt my son. Or you.” He touched her cheek with his tongue. “Right now you’re facing a greater danger.”

“Oh?” She looked around quickly. “What’s wrong?”

“One branch is a bit much for a leopard, a lioness and a gazelle, don’t you think?”

She gasped. “My gods, I didn’t think about that. I’ll get down right now.”

A deep cracking sound shook the trunk of the tree. Amana held perfectly still, hardly daring to breathe, and the sound stopped. “I’ll take this very slowly,” she whispered. “Don’t move till I reach the trunk of the...”

The branch popped again, and with a sudden crackle it gave way, dumping Fahari, Amana and the antelope to the ground.

CHAPTER 11: COMING TOGETHER

Fahari made regular visits to Amana and Chui. He always maintained that he was checking on his son’s progress, but the friendliness he showed to Amana grew more obvious with each visit. There was no pretense on Amana’s part, for she hungered for adult companionship. As a lioness, she enjoyed a few moments alone from time to time to reflect on the day and its deeds. But she had spent enough time by herself to last a lifetime.

In fact, Fahari’s visits were becoming much more frequent, often two or more a week, and the leopard was beginning to worry that his “constant interruptions” would get on Amana’s nerves.

One day Amana was in a particularly dark mood. She was sitting in front of the hole where her cubs had died, thinking about them, but also thinking about Mabezo. She was still a cub in her mother’s eyes when Mabezo came into her life, but already she was showing signs of approaching maturity. The sparkle of her innocent young eyes and the smile that came so easily and warmly clung to his heart like vines and trapped it.

Mabezo respected her youth, but as days passed into months, he knew her first period would come upon her and she would seek him out. He plied her with attention and gifts, so much so that the older lionesses tended to be jealous of her. They would speak harshly of her behind her back and glare at her from a distance. But when they were ready to speak openly of their disapproval, Amana would smile and greet them with such sunshine and innocent mirth that they melted like mist in the morning sun. All would be forgiven and forgotten.

Amana had loved the attention Mabezo paid her, and she would kiss him and rub him full length. Often she was tempted to satisfy her secret longing, to roll on her back before him and paw his face and tell him, “I love you father.” For such was her love for him.

Had Mabezo known this, he would have been dismayed and deeply offended. For the love she bore him was deep but bore no trace of passion. Everything she knew of passion she learned from Utamu.

Utamu! The very name sounded like a murmur of passion. The musky softness of his mane was her pillow, and the liquid depths of his hazel eyes satisfied a thirst no waterhole could reach. Trembling and shy, she had knelt for him in the soft grass and felt the glories of his passion, making his pleasures her own. Shuddering beneath his golden body, she knew that she could never let Mabezo take her in the grass. It would be a shameful thing, an almost unnatural act. Poor Mabezo! How disappointed he would be! Yet still her shame could not break her bonds of passion and tear her from her lover’s side.

Cut off from her own kind and her own land, she now languished in exile. Her loneliness was more than she could bear, and the loving attention Chui paid her was merely adequate to keep her from collapsing into complete despair.

Fahari’s arrival broke the somber mood. He smiled warmly and said, “How’s my favorite girl!”

“Much better,” Amana said with a surge of emotion. “I’ve missed you so much, Fahari. I wish you would spend more time with me.”

“You do? I thought I was getting on your nerves.”

“What a foolish thought!” she said, pawing at him and kissing his face. “How are you? Tell me what’s been going on in the west.”

“I don’t really have much time. I was headed to Crescent Rock.”

“Then let me come with you.”

“I can’t. I have to move quietly when I’m observing.”

He started to leave, but Amana blocked his path. Trying to hold her emotions in check, she still looked at him with desperate eyes. “I would move several steps behind you. I wouldn’t say a word!”

“What’s wrong with you?”

Amana said, “Nothing! I’m a normal lioness, and I’m going out of my mind with loneliness!”

Fahari pawed at her. “Chui is your companion--that is the order of things. I come by rather often, you know. It’s not like I neglect you. I see more of you than I ever saw of Jaha and I loved her dearly.”

“Fahari--my dear--I could stay with you every day. I would do anything to please you. Give me a chance. I can rub your back, I can groom you.”

The leopard looked at her thoughtfully. “Look, I’ll tell you where I take my naps. There’s a different spot each time, depending on the day. But if you remember the schedule—and you are nice and quiet—you may lay next to me.

After pressing her case so strongly, Amana did not come to him that day, nor did she seek him out the next. But on the third day when naptime came she stalked in quietly and laid next to him.

“Fahari, I sure appreciate this. I know you like to have some time alone.”

“You’re quite welcome.”

“I’ll try not to be much of a bother.”

“You’re not.” He yawned, and added gently but firmly, “Still, this IS a naptime for me. Please be nice and quiet so I can sleep, OK?”

“Sure.”

Amana was anxious to pass time talking with him. She used to gossip with the lionesses in her home pride, and she held her tongue only with the greatest effort. Still it felt good to have his warm body next to hers. She was grateful.

The next day she showed up promptly at mid-sun. She laid next to him without even a hello, but her soft, warm presence bore mute testimony to her feelings. It took a while before she felt sure he was deeply asleep, but when she dared, she began to stroke his shoulder softly with her paw. “I know this is a sacrifice for you,” she whispered. “I know you like your time alone, but I just want to keep you with me forever. I want to groom you and lie next to you to watch the sunrise. I feel so safe when you’re around. If only you knew how much I needed you I wish I could tell you to your face….”

She sighed and closed her eyes, putting her paw over his shoulder in a gentle embrace. One of his eyes half opened and a subtle smile formed on his lips.

Over the days ahead, her attentions began to become an expected part of his day. She would always put her paw on his shoulder and give him a little pat. He began to answer that gesture by breaking silence and saying, “Rest well, my dear.”

He always left while she was still asleep. She tried to wake in time to bid him good bye, but he always very quietly and very gently eased out from under her paw, kissed her, and watched her for a moment before leaving.

Amana dared not bring Chui along on these visits. She would leave him sleeping peacefully in nearby bushes, his spots wonderfully concealing him from any enemies. It was enough that he was within range of her hearing. But one day Chui had been stung by a bee, and he was fearful and in pain. There was no leaving him, so she missed her appointment with Fahari.

When the sun had slid past its zenith and it was early afternoon, the leopard came to her, worried. “Oh, there you are! Thank the gods!”

“Fahari?”

He came and nuzzled her warmly. “I was worried. I thought something had happened to—Kaharabu.”

“I missed you too,” she answered, nuzzling him back. Then she batted at him with a paw, playfully challenging him.

He sprang up, wrapping his paws around her neck and wrestling her for all he was worth. He was small but wiry, and he knew he might win if he worked at it hard enough.

Chui was elated, watching the battle from the sidelines. “Come on Dad, you can do it!”

Amana glanced at Chui. “Silence, you little traitor!” She put up a struggle for a while, but finally, laughing, she let the smaller leopard pin her to the ground.

Fahari bent down panting to gloat about his victory, but she kissed him on the cheek, a warm smile on her face and the light of the sun in her hazel eyes. “Fahari, I think you’re wonderful.”

He smiled and touched her with his warm pink tongue. “My favorite girl.”

CHAPTER 12: PLAYMATES

About the time that Chui was six moons, he and Amana were having a tussle together. After they played and tired each other out, they curled together, panting happily. Chui looks to her, “Mom, will you get me something next time you are out hunting?”

Amana nuzzled him and smiles, “I would get anything for my little leopard.”

He smiled, “Can you find a brother or sister?”

Amana started with a blink, “Dear…why do you think that I can find you a sibling?”
“Sibling?” He laughed. “I just want a brother or sister!” The amusement soon gave way to curiosity. “Well, you found me, and my Mommy found me....” He stopped and nuzzled her. “Sorry. I mean Jaha.”

“Oh no, Chui! You mean your Mommy. I don’t mind that you love her and that you miss her. I’d be very disappointed if you didn’t!”

“You would?”

“Sure. If you just forgot her that fast, you’d forget me that fast.”

He smiled. “I’ll never forget you fast. Or even slow.” He nuzzled her again. “Yeah, I still miss her. I miss my sisters too.”

“I know,” Amana said tenderly--and with a certain relief. Another successful parental diversion to her credit!

“Well, I just wish--I mean--every time we wrestle, you always win.”

“Not always.”

“Yeah, but you let me win. You’re bigger than I am. In fact, you know what? You’re bigger than daddy! You’re probably the biggest cat in the whole world!”

“Not THE biggest.”

“Anyhow, I just want a brother or sister to play with. Find me one--please??”

Amana sighed. So far leopard cubs were as single-minded as lion cubs--perhaps more so. “It’s a little more complicated than that. First you need a Mommy and a Daddy....”

“Why?”

“Because the Mommy can’t do it alone. She needs the Daddy to keep the land safe and bring her food once in a while. Till a Mommy and a Daddy come together and decide to have cubs, there won’t be any cubs.”

“Oh….”

Amana silently prayed that would hold the cub…but the silence only lasted a few seconds, “So what do they do when they come together, Mommy?”

She coughed a moment and straightened herself, trying to remember how her mother introduced this topic to her. “Well, you see, sometimes a Mommy and a Daddy feel a special love for each other. A special love that makes them want to be a family. They eat together and sleep together and hunt together and tell stories together. Sooner or later, everyone realizes that they are a pair, a very special pair that makes them a family. Then when they are ready to have cubs, the Mommy gets down on the ground and the Daddy comes and touches her in a special way that makes her feel very safe and happy and loved. In fact she feels so full of love that a miracle happens.”

“What kind of miracle?”

“Love is a very powerful magic, Chui. And when a Mommy and Daddy love each other that much, that’s what makes the cubs appear. Cubs are made out of love. Love, and lots and lots of milk and games and naps and grooming. That’s why cubs are so beautiful. At first a Mommy and Daddy love each other, but it’s just a feeling in their heart that no one can see or smell or touch. But when they have cubs, everyone can see it, smell it and touch it.” She kissed him. “You are made of the love Fahari and Jaha felt. Your Mom is not here any more, but the love she felt for your Dad still lives on.”

Chui smiled wistfully. “Really?”

“Really. Fahari really misses her. But when you’re around, it doesn’t hurt so bad. Someday I want you to settle down with a beautiful leopardess and have lots of beautiful cubs. I think you’d make a very nice Daddy.”

Chui nuzzled her. “Why don’t you let Daddy touch you in that special way so I can have brothers and sisters??”

Amana had to fight her first reaction to answer the question. She caught her breath and smiled to the cub. “Chui, I love your father dearly, but he’s a leopard and I’m a lioness. It would never work.”

“Why?”

“Because he’d be trying to make leopard cubs while I’d be trying to make....”

Amana realized the awful thing she had just said. She stopped, but not before her meaning was clear. She looked at Chui’s hurt face and said, “What I really meant to say was....”

“Daddy wants leopard cubs, but you want lion cubs.”

“Oh no, sweetie! No! I love all cubs alike! But you are my special little boy and I love you so much it hurts!” She groomed him frantically, working the last doubts from his mind that he was her small treasure. “Honey, I just don’t know HOW to make a leopard cub. And your daddy doesn’t know HOW to make a lion cub. We couldn’t work together very well. I would need a real lion to have cubs and he would need a real leopardess. That’s why there are different kinds of animals--we can only have young that are just like us. Believe me, Chui, I love your Daddy. If I could, I’d have cubs with him, and if it made you happy, they would all be leopard cubs!” She kissed him. “Honey, please don’t mention this to Fahari. He wants cubs too, and it would make him sad thinking about it.”

Chui nuzzled into Amana’s fur and looked up again, “Will you ever be touched by a lion in that special way?”

She smiled and nuzzled into him, “Maybe. But I’d have to find someone I love that special way. And right now, I love your Dad.” She sighed. “He still loves your Mother. And I still love Utamu--in a way. But we have each other. When we’re lonely, we can come together and we feel better.”

“That’s very sad,” Chui said, looking down. “You want something you can’t have.”

It was a remarkably accurate assessment. Amana kissed him and said, “You can’t have everything you want. I’m just glad to have the truly important things--and that I have sense enough to know it.”

“I wish there was something I could do.”

“Do you really want to cheer me up?”

“Yes, Mommy! Really!”

“Then roll over!” She shoved him on his back and nuzzled his belly until he giggled helplessly. “That’s my little squirt! Yes, that’s Momma’s little squirt and I’m going to get you!”

Chui batted at her and giggled, “I love you Mommy.”

“I love you too.”

CHAPTER 15: GOOD FRIENDS

Many a moon had passed since Fahari and Amana’s somewhat awkward relationship had begun. Over time as the two had adjusted to each other’s differences, they sought out and found many things they had in common. Eventually, the two began to look forward to sharing time with one another as the rough trail of their mere association became the smooth path of real friendship.

Amana’s time as a rogue had accustomed her to endless hours of padding across the endless savanna, but it was only when Fahari invited her on one of his jaunts that she began to appreciate the real beauty of the land around her. The leopard took great care to comment on the passing landscape, pointing out various features as they passed with obvious relish.

“Look there,” he said one day, nudging her and pointing with his chin. “See that hollow underneath those rocks?”

Amana paused, Chui curling about her legs as she squinted for a moment, then nodded. “I see it.”

Fahari grinned. “I was born there. My Mom used to lay just beyond the hollow...see where the ground is flattened out? She’d lay there and nap, and my brothers and I used to climb on top of the rocks and pounce on her.”

The lioness giggled. “Oh gods! I bet she was furious!”

He laughed. “To see her, you’d think she was going to eat us all alive! Oooh, she could growl fierce enough to make a cub quiver in his skin. But there was always that little spark in her eyes.” Fahari smiled absently, his gaze far away in the past for a moment.

Amana stole a glance at his face and smiled secretly inside. “She must have been a good mother to raise such a wonderful son.”

Fahari cocked an eye at her and crinkled his whiskers upward in amusement. “Like someone else I know.” He shook himself briskly and led them away, pretending not to notice the look of mild embarrassment on Amana’s face.

Later that evening, Fahari scaled down the trunk of a young and wiry baobab and dropped lithely down to the ground, landing with a muffled thump. Shaking an offending leaf from his ear, he stretched with a grunt of contentment and moved towards a clump of bushes still visible in the last of the twilight. He had taken perhaps two steps when a soft voice from behind him caught his attention.

“Fahari?”

He turned to see Amana curled comfortably at the base of the tree. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, nothing,” she said mildly. “Just relaxing. Care to join me? You’ve been in that tree for awhile yet; that has to be terribly uncomfortable.”

“Not really,” Fahari shrugged. “I’m used to it.”

“You’re not tired then?”

“Well, I...” Fahari glanced back at the bush, then looked again at Amana, her eyes glowing softly in the dim light. Feeling a bit awkward, he padded over slowly and sat down next to her. “Just for a moment then. I could use a breather.”

“I thought you might.”

He stretched his forepaws out and slowly lowered himself next to her, sliding over a bit until his back was curled along the curve of her belly, the soft warmth feeling delightful on his fur. A soft purr emanated from the lioness as she slid a forepaw around his shoulders, feeling the rippling muscles underneath tense and then relax at her touch. “Poor Fahari...you must be terribly sore.”

He grunted softly as her paw moved over his foreleg. “Mmm...that feels wonderful. Wherever did you learn to do that?”

“Mabezo used to do that for me when I would come back from hunting with no prey.” Amana flexed her paw absently as she looked out at the darkening sky, the stars beginning to gleam brilliantly. “I felt terrible, you know, coming back with nothing to show for it.”

Fahari began to purr slowly, his eyes slitted halfway. “I know the feeling. You don’t want to let down the people you love.”

“Exactly.” The gentle rubbing of her paw had turned into a soft caress. Feeling him shift under her grip, she glanced down to see him looking at her in the darkness, the starlight reflecting from his eyes, obsidian pools that threatened to drag her down.

“Amana?”

“Yes?”

“You remember when we first met...how angry we were with each other? Remember what you said? ‘You'll never drag me into the bushes?’”

“I remember.” She giggled slightly, unable to tear her eyes away from his face.

Fahari stood slowly. "It was funny then. It's not funny now." Bending down, he nuzzled her cheek, sliding his own across it and nibbling at her ear. Amana lay frozen, her blood pounding through her as he kissed her face and pawed her shoulder tenderly, a deep purr rumbling from her chest at his touch. "Oh girl, I want you. I've wanted you for the longest time but told myself it was wrong." Drawing back for a moment, he met her gaze. “I might not have a mane...and I may be short and spotty....”

She lifted her face to his. “Fahari...I want to kiss each of those spots.” Her warm tongue flicked out and kissed the tip of his delicate black nose. “Starting with this one...” she smiled at him, starlight gleaming from her eyes, “and then I’ll work my way back.”

Fahari drew a shuddering breath. "Crouch for me, Amana! Oh gods, I want you!"

"Not here," she said. "Follow me."

She swatted playfully at him and darted off, her sweet laughter drifting back to him as he gave chase. Amana loped along effortlessly, shortening her stride as she ran...she was easily capable of outdistancing him with her longer legs, but that would not do here. She was the prey and he was the hunter in a hunt as old as time itself, and the joy ended not in the satisfaction of the kill but in the sweetness of the pounce.

Fahari sprinted after her, his heart pounding with more than just the exertion of his muscles as he neared her. He slowed up as she paused just ahead and turned to face him, eyes ensnaring him once again with their hunger. Drawing up close, he rubbed his cheek on her flank, and she answered with a deep purr.

“Mom! Mom! There you are!”

Amana and Fahari gasped in concert and turned to see Chui scrabbling towards them awkwardly, something dangling limply from his jaws.

“Uh, what is it, Chui?”

The youngster drew up close to them, panting as he set his burden, a newly killed rabbit, down in front of him. “Check it OUT! I caught it Mom! All by myself!” Chui puffed out his cheeks in relief. “Jeez, I thought I’d never catch you guys. Why were you running around like that?”

“Uh, it’s nothing, Chui...we were just checking out some odd noise we heard over here. Everything’s fine.” Fahari made a move as if to leave, but Chui padded over to Amana and set the hare down in front of her.

“Here you go, Mom.” He beamed up at her, the pride threatening to burst from him like a sunbeam from behind a cloudbank. “I brought it for you.”

“Oh, Chui...” Amana looked over at Fahari, whose pride in his son’s accomplishment was clear enough, but whose eyes cried out to her in need. Looking down at the smiling cub in front of her, she saw a need that, while no less real, mattered much more in her heart. Sighing, she bent and nuzzled the smiling Chui tenderly, then sampled the hare. “Mmm...delicious.”

Chui wriggled with delight. “You think so?”

“Oh of course I do, you marvelous hunter you!”

Unseen, Fahari slipped away into the night behind them, heading off silently on some errand known only to him.

Much later, Amana lifted her head to see the leopard emerging from the underbrush, another hare gripped in his jaws. Rising quietly, she moved away from Chui, who lay asleep, and padded over to nuzzle her mate. “Hello, love.”

He dipped his head and deposited the hare before her, a purr emanating from his chest. “Hello indeed. I’ve brought you something as well,” he grinned, “but I thought perhaps we could share it....later.” He nuzzled her neck and ear gently, immersing himself in her scent, wild and lovely.

To his surprise, she pulled away. “No, Fahari...not now. It wouldn’t be right.”

He blinked in shock. “What did I do wrong?”

“Nothing love....nothing.” She sighed. “Perhaps for one moment back there...but not now.” Amana looked in his eyes and ached at the confusion and hurt she saw in them. “Please, love...it’s for the best.”

“Yeah.” Fahari nodded stiffly, then paced away out of her sight. Jaw clenched with frustration, he waited until he had passed out of earshot and then growled, ripping at a nearby tree with his claws, sending the bark flying in a shower.

Drained, he stood back, panting, and sighed miserably. “Yeah.”

CHAPTER 17: AMANA’S LOSS

The changes in Amana were subtle at first, but after a week Fahari was very worried about her. She came to lie with him during naptime as she always did, but her tiredness was no longer the casual sleepiness of a lion. She drew beside him gaunt and silent, then collapsed. When he put his paw over her chest, he could feel the ribs.

“Are you all right, dear?”

“I suppose so.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Amana sighed. “My heart is not made of stone, Fahari. I’m worried about Chui.”

Fahari laughed gently. “Worried about him? I know he’s with a leopardess now, but I had a little talk with him about his heritage. He’ll hold his own.”

“That’s not what I meant. For three years I was there for him, helping him and loving him and...sharing a life together.”

“And you’re lonely? Jaha was depressed after our first litter left.”

She had never thought about his age before. “Just how many litters did you have with her?”

“Kaharabu was from my second. Bless her heart, she was a good mate.” He looked around into her eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be saying this before you.”

“Oh no, please. What was she like?”

“Beautiful and funny and serious all at once. And let me tell you, girl, she loved her children as much as you love...Chui.” He pawed her face. “Sometimes you make a very good leopardess. Not right now, Amana-penda. Now you are a lioness grieving for your pride. You expect me to be a kind of spotted lion, but I’m not. Out here in the trees, you have to hunt alone to survive. That doesn’t mean I’m a loner--I’m just realistic. I am as my father was, and in being just like him I am showing him the deepest love.”

“That’s very sweet of you, Fahari. Still, Chui was my life. Once when I said I was lonely, you said that’s what Chui was for. Now who keeps me company, love?”

“If I were any closer, I’d be sharing your blood.” He patted her with a paw.

“Yes, for this moment. You know what I mean.”

“I sure do. And I’ve given the matter a lot of thought.” He rolled over and looked her right in the eyes. “I love you. Not just a little. There are three great loves a leopardess has--her mother, her cubs, and her lover.”

“Her lover?” She smiled, embarrassed.

He reached with his paw and gently rubbed her chest. “With your beautiful body lying next to me, I must admit I’ve had fantasies. I bet your pleasures make the sun and moon smile.”

A long, slow purr escaped her, and she touched his paw with her own. “You sure know how to cheer me up. Maybe you ARE a spotted lion.”

CHAPTER 19: LOVE

Eventually, her emptiness was eventually compounded by the restless stirrings that began inside her body as she entered her season. What should have been a happy time for her was sheer misery. Her emotional needs grew along with her physical needs, and she found herself weeping with frustration when she would miss a kill, or even slip crossing a creek.

Fahari’s prolonged absences, which were previously acceptable, now became unbearable, and she spent many long hours awake, thinking guiltily of how his spots rippled as he moved, and how strange and lovely his eyes were when he smiled at her. She was curious, and tried to imagine herself beneath his lithe and passionate body, but she could not. She had no idea what to expect, even if he still thought of her as a mate.

She slept fitfully that night. She dreamed of her mother, lying on her side and moaning softly and reassuringly. She trundled up and snuggled to her abdomen, finding a teat and taking it in her small mouth. The milk was rich and creamy, and she kneaded her mother’s abdomen to increase the flow. A paw stroked her softly and she smiled and grunted contentedly.

The dream ended. She awoke to the empty blackness of the night, her paws kneading nothing more than the earth in front of her. Tears rolled down her face. “Oh gods, I’m so alone! Help me please! Oh gods, help me!!”

When day returned, she waited anxiously for the usual midday nap time. The hours seemed to drag by, and when the sun finally approached its zenith, she sought Fahari with her mind made up to use whatever excuse—any excuse—it took to keep him by her for more than an hour or two.

“Hello, Amana.” He yawned and headed for a soft place in the grass to lay, a place from which the sticks and stones had been removed, and where no ants had rudely built a mound.

“Fahari!” His beauty warmed her heart, and in a rush of emotions she leapt up and nearly flattened him with her affectionate greeting. Only at the last minute did she restrain herself and nuzzle him firmly. “I’m so glad to see you, Hon!”

“I gathered that,” he grinned amiably, touching her cheek with his tongue. “How have you been?” He looked at her oddly, struck by the intensity of her greeting as she purred loudly and rubbed him full length down his side, her head weaving slowly as she nuzzled his flank. “Here, girl, what gives?”

Her tail coiled about his chest and forelegs as the realization struck him full force. Her fragrance was affecting him, and he squirmed like he was going to jump out of his own hide. “Here, girl,” he said awkwardly. “I wish you wouldn’t do that. I mean, you and I, we’re—well, didn’t you say you thought we shouldn’t act on….”

“Don’t you enjoy it?” she said, a small smile curling about her cheeks as she saw his reaction. “Don’t you like me?” She curled about his hindquarters and rubbed back up the other side. “Don’t you think I’m attractive?”

“Well, of course, I do, it’s just--you said….”

“Listen closely, Fahari. I remember SAYING that I’m so glad to see you.” She nuzzled his cheek and breathed softly in his ear. “VERY glad. I fill myself with the musky softness of your fur, and I am drunk with it. Love me, Fahari!”

He shuddered at her touch. “Oh gods! Are you sure, love?”

In answer, she batted at him gently, lifting herself slightly and wrapping her forepaws about his shoulders as she licked his face passionately. Purring in answer, he grappled with her gently, the two swaying about in a haze of love. Amana giggled lightly, then shifted her weight slightly and nibbled his ear. Startled, Fahari gave way and sank down, the lioness’s paws pinning him to the earth with a comfortable weight.

Grinning, he licked her nose lightly. “Cheater.”

“No, darling.” She smiled back as her paw trailed slowly down his chest, tracing light circles as it neared his belly, lighting fires inside him as it moved. “My wonderful leopard. My spotted treasure.”

His eyes gazed questioningly up to her own, which showed no trace of humor...only love and need. He drew his paws about her strong neck and pulled her close, kissing her soft cheek. “My lovely lioness.”

She pawed his face gently, then sat up, moving a few feet away and then sinking to the ground, crouching low and then looking back at him, her meaning clear. Nervously, he stepped close and mouthed her neck with feeling, then paused awkwardly, keenly aware of just how small and powerless he felt.

Amana noticed his uncertainty and craned her head up to lick his throat lovingly. “Don’t try to be a lion. Just love me in your own way as you see fit. Love me like a leopard.”

He nuzzled her, then walked about behind her. “Whatever happens, just remember how much I love you.”

“Whatever happens, I’ll just remember what they say about leopards.”

“And what is that?”

She looked about and winked. “You know.”

A big grin blossomed on his face. “Yeah?”

“Ask anyone.”

He closed his eyes and took in a deep, languorous breath, his lips parted to intoxicate himself fully with her fragrance. The breath escaped him in a long, exhilarated sigh. Trembling with anticipation, but no more fear, he embraced her soft golden body

THE END: THE SPOTTED LION