The white lioness shifted, feeling the sun on her flank. She woke up expecting to need to lick herself clean- but, the earth was still as it was, and the sky was lit bright with the ever looming ring of fire. She panted and flexed her paws nervously.
She was hot.
It wasn’t an unusual feeling. She was firekin! It was almost all they knew. But she had never felt winded from the heat before. She’d never felt the heat in her brain like it was sizzling. Like the way the water dried from the pool near Uzulu’s den. Their den! Her yellow eyes flickered towards the swell in her belly. So fat now... no wonder why Uzulu had wandered off. The lioness smiled affectionately, and rested her head on the swell. Her children! Her cubs! Uzulu’s too...but she had odd dreams. In her dreams he sat by the stone bird and shook his head, and said- “They’re not my children.” She would protest, but then, they melted. It was too bad they had- how could she have conversations if they always melted?
She knew now there were two. She dreamed in twos. Two dreams every night. Two beautiful flowers growing out of her spine and then two suns in the sky. Two lions on the rock. It was all there! She would not deny it. Kaanga was not often sure of anything, but she was sure of her dreams. A smile crossed her face with delight, and she rose from the earth with a tired puff.
The cubs made her weary though, more so then ever. The heat bothered her terribly- and so fat with cubs she found she could move much. And without moving much, she felt alone on the high tower above the firekin lands. Oh! So much turmoil! She knew it. Uzulu hadn’t told her what had happened, but she was sure something had. Her brother had been banished... or was that just a dream?
“Am I mad?” She wondered, once. Kaanga staggered into the den. Mad! She dreamed her mother had wings and glowed like the sun. Mad, mad...
...mad...
Kaanga fell onto her side with a thud. So hot! No, she wasn’t mad. She was quite happy. No one had ever told her she was different, but she had always known. Kidondo- he was different too. But even he... he wasn’t...
A pain in her side. She rose her head and looked at her belly. Her cubs- they shifted and kicked. She hoped they were not fighting. “Mommy can’t hear what you are arguing over,” She crooned. “But don’t be mad! There’s plenty of space, lord knows, I’ve gotten so fat.” She sighed, and lay her head back down.
But they wouldn’t stop. Were they playing?
“You’re playing too hard!” She gasped. It was so hot! The sun, surely it was breaking now. Where was Uzulu? She had to tell him about the yolk. The yolk that would come when the sky fell down and the world started over again. There were two lions on the rock and they leaned down and....
“Uzulu?” She called out weakly. There was no response, so she hollered it again. They would listen to their father! “Children, you play too hard for mommy! Just wait, wait-...Mpaji!” she called again. Had he gone with Uzulu?
She heaved, and felt her body tremble. Strange feelings, yes. The world was burning...
And then...
An hour passed, but it felt like nothing. Everything swirld...and somewhere, she was dancing. She kept dancing, and before she realized it she had two very small, tiny partners.
The first, a red child that reminded her of her father. He danced very well, she thought. She caught him and nestled him between her paws. But she knew there was two- because, she always dreamed of two.
The second was white like a burning light, and striped with a brilliant red. He danced as well as the first and he liked to twirl, but she caught him too and snuggled him against her chest and lowered her head down upon the boys.
Her boys!
Where was Uzulu?... Surely he wanted to dance!
