CHAPTER 7: THE CONFRONTATION

 

The next day started off on a positive note. The light of the sun dispelled the powers of the night terrors, and there were lots of things to do to take their mind off grief.

Beyond the burned places were other patches of grass that remained untouched. It felt good to leave the ash behind with its unpleasant associations. Chui--for she could remember the name better than Kaharabu--turned out to be a little chatterbox, just like her lion cubs were, and Amana lost herself in answering his many questions.

“Why don’t you have any spots?”

“Because I’m a lioness, and we don’t have spots.”

“But why?”

“Because we live in tall grass. This way we blend in better.”

“Why do you live in tall grass?”

“Because we eat the animals that live there.”

“But why? Mom always hunted here.”

“But she was smaller. Bigger cats like me don’t do as well in a forest.”

“But why?”

Amana looked down and kissed him. “We were made for two different lifestyles—leopards for the forest and lions for the grassland. That’s so we could both have a home and not get in each other’s way too much.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Because I did something very bad and I was punished.”

Chui gasped. “YOU did something bad??”

“Yes. But I made up for it. I did something very good. You see, if I had stayed home, I wouldn’t be here right now, and you’d be all alone and very hungry. Aren’t you glad I came here?”

“Yes!”

Chui’s curiosity stopped at once. He was a cat like Amana, and he understood that after an error was punished, it was not spoken of again.

Just as Amana’s own cubs had been before, Chui was fascinated by the tuft on the end of her tail. He batted at it as it swung back and forth. Then suddenly, her tail stopped swinging and stood out tensely. Chui froze.

“Chui,” she hoarsely whispered, “don’t answer me. Be completely still. Don’t move.”

Chui was obedient, but without moving his head he scanned the trees with his eyes, trembling in fear.

Amana looked about and sniffed the air. Her hackles rose, and she whispered, “I don’t like this place. We’re going to walk away calmly when I say. Don’t run. Don’t move fast. Just turn and we’ll….”

One of the trees shook and a burst of golden fury sailed vertically down the trunk and with awful momentum surged toward them. The leopard halted only a couple of lengths before Amana and roared, fire in his eyes and light glinting off his white daggers.  

“Leave this forest! This is MY land! Go back to your grassland, lioness!”

Amana snarled loudly and terribly. “I go where I please!”

“Then prepare to….” The male leopard caught sight of the small spotted body that watched him terrified from the bushes. He was so surprised, he barely had time to duck when Amana aimed a vicious cuff at his face. “Truce! Truce! Lioness, what are you doing with him??"

       "He's mine," she said. "His mother is dead."

       He approached the cub and his harsh expression softened. Amana snarled again, but stopped when he gently sniffed the cub. “Oh gods! Kaharabu! I thought you were dead!”

She cautiously drew closer. "You're his father, aren't you?"

"What if I am??" He glared at her, but there was fear lurking in his aggressive stance. "I want my son. He's all I have left. If you hurt him, there’ll be hell to pay!"

She motioned him away from the cub to talk privately. "Look, I’ve been feeding him. What will you do with him? Nurse him?”

“You’ve been feeding him??” The leopard looked down. "I didn’t realize…I mean…you’re a lioness. I thought….” He looked at her. Chui had left his place and snuggled against her side, looking at his father and back at his new mother. “It seems I'm at your mercy,” the leopard said. “So what happens now?"

She said softly, "If I'm to raise him, I'm to be under your protection. You will not drive me off my kills. No more claws and fangs from you. And if there is any decency in you, you might want to provide some meat for your remaining cub."

       "I resent that," the leopard said. "You lions think you're so much better than us. I was a good husband and a good father. I bear the scars of my duty. Lions, other leopards, cheetahs, hyenas. I couldn’t fight the fire."

"Neither could I.” She looked down. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

"Look, as long as you're taking care of my son, you're my mate. It’s time you realized what that means."

       She snapped back to attention. "Don't you even THINK of pulling me in the bushes!"

       "I don't want to pull you in the bushes, don't worry. But you will recognize my authority here. I have the right to check up on my son and see that you're doing your job. And may your gods help you if you mistreat my boy!"

       "Or you'll WHAT??" She raised herself to full height and growled. She presented quite a terrifying stance. Then she looked back at her cub who was miserable and afraid. "Look, let's not argue in front of OUR son, agreed?"

       The leopard came up quietly, glanced at her uneasily, but nuzzled her. She touched his cheek with her pink tongue. "We have an understanding then?" 

"Yes," the leopard said, kissing her back stiffly. “Well then, if you’re going to be my mate and raise our son, what is your name?”

       “Amana. And you, my ‘mate’?”

       “Fahari.”

       “Honor, eh?" She half smiled. "It fits.”

       “Thanks--Amana.” The leopard went to Chui and sniffed him, then nuzzled him gently. He crouched sphinx-like, and Chui sat between his forepaws, snuggling tightly under his chin. “Have you kindled before?”

“No. This was my first litter.”

“Unfortunate. If you need advice, please come to me any time.”

“That’s very nice, but I remember what my mother did when I was his age.”

“Bring your other cubs out. Let me see them and I will protect them as well.”

       “They’re all dead,” Amana said, a tear running down her cheek. “Little Chui is my family now.”

       He came and kissed her again, this time with feeling. Pawing her face gently, he said, “I'm so sorry. From now on, it's the three of us."

"The three of us?"

He nuzzled her again. "I hope you'll be happy here.”

 

 

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.

 

⇐ Предыдущая123456789Следующая ⇒

Поделиться: