He slept out in the open, twitching in his sleep, his body barely covered by the grass around him. He was no rogue; he was not a born survivor. He was just lucky that not many lions came this way, not with the nearest herds being miles away.
The wind stirred the mane into his face, but the lion did not sleep. The efforts of his travel and his despair had left him exhausted and now he slept deeply.
He had left the Pridelands with one intent. To find his father. But he had not found him, and though Hababuu had helped bring him from turmoil he was still saddened by his lack of tracking skills. He had been foolish to make promises to his mother and he had been foolish to leave behind his home to go on a wild chase across rogue country.
And even in sleep his anguish didn’t leave his face. It lay in the lines of his frown.
A rusty-coloured lion padded his way thickly across the land. He was a largely built lion, not huge, but stocky. He had thickly set limbs, a wide chest, a wide snout and a thick middle. A little grey flecked at his muzzle. More grey threaded lightly through the chestnut of his mane.
He walked slowly, head down, shoulders stooped and tail dragging. He looked utterly miserable, as if he were only just managing to stay on his feet. And his eyes. They were the haunted eyes of the walking dead.
He passed the gold lion without even noticing him. Until the gold moved, that was.
The brown lion started, raised his head as if waking from a tortured sleep and blinked blearily around him. His eyes focused on the gold lion and he gave a low growl. Was it dying, injured?
The growl stabbed Chunuka viciously out of his sleep; he raised his head, shook the dirt from his mane and turned his head around. He could feel the shadow of someone looming over him and was suddenly afraid.
But he needn’t have been.
The look of fear was replaced with one of shock. His blue eyes – so like his mother’s – bulged in their sockets and his mouth fell open. And then tears gathered and choked the words that he tried desperately to speak.
And then they came.
“F-f-father! Is that you?”
“Chunuka?” Amari blinked, took a wary step back. He looked different. He’d lost weight; he was dusty, bedraggled and worn. His eyes were empty, or had been. Now they too held traces of tears. For here before him was his son, one of his five sons, whom he adored more than anything.
“Are you…hurt? What are you doing here?” Amari seemed awkward, as if he’d been caught out and shamed. He did regret leaving, he had regretted it the moment that he’d stepped outside of the borders.
But the thought of sleeping in his old den without Maawio at his side pained him. Pained him so deeply that he couldn’t bear the thought of it.
“Father!” And as if he were a cub, the gold lion threw himself at his father, hugging him close, burying his face into his mane. “Is this a dream? How can it be! I’ve been searching for you for so long and then here you are.” He lifted his head, looked suddenly sheepish and drew back. “I thought I’d never find you. I thought I’d have to return without you and break my promise.”
Then remembering the question asked of him, he replied. “No…I’m not hurt.” And then he shook his head.
“Oh father, you must come back. Something wonderful has happened!”
“I’m sorry Chunuka. I was going to come back, just as soon as I felt able to face it again.” He listened intently and then, with an awkward display of affection, pulled his smaller-built son into a rough embrace. “You won’t believe what it means to me to see you again.”
And then he smiled. He actually smiled. “What has happened Chunuka? It must be something wonderful if it’s brought you all the way out here. You’re too much like your mother was! You shouldn’t leave the Pridelands. You have even less experience than she did with the rogue lands.”
“Father, stop. Don’t talk about mother in the past tense.” Chunuka replied, shaking his head and blinking back the tears. How awful for Amari to be wandering out here all alone, thinking his mate dead when she was waiting back at the lands, alive and as well as she could be considering she too was suffering from loss.
“Father, father…” He stopped, looked into Amari’s glazed eyes. “Listen to me!”
“Chunuka…it’s time to face facts. Listen to me son. I know I can’t prove it. I never found her body nor any trace of her. But she wouldn’t have left for so long without saying a word. She’s gone, son. She’s up with the stars now.” He turned and sat with his back facing his golden son.
“But since you came out here to find me then I’ll go home with you. I might not be ready to face the den again, but I’ll slink around at the borders for a while.”
He sighed. “Just as I used to as a juvenile.”
“No, father, listen! You don’t understand. I’m trying to tell you something important.” Frustrated, Chunuka padded around his father, forcing him to meet his gaze. And then the words caught in his throat. What should he say? How could he break this miracle upon his father after all this time?
But looking into his father’s empty eyes he found the words and they were simple.
“Mother…Maawio…she isn’t dead, father. She’s alive and well. That’s why I came to find you. I came to bring you back to her, to complete our family again. Maawio is alive!!”
“Chunuka, what are you saying? How can she be alive? It doesn’t make any sense!” Now Amari was distraught. His whole face creased in agony. He stood, paced back and forth, lashed out at thin air with an extended paw. His pacing increased in tempo, he swung his head this way and that.
“Maawio…I thought…no…what...?” And then he froze and turned his pained-face back to his son. “Chunuka, please, tell me you aren’t deceiving me.”
“I’m not. I promise I’m not. I could never lie about something like this. Never to you, father.” He moved forward again, suddenly nervous of his father’s confused actions. “She told me…she went in search of Mbari. She was afraid something had happened to him. She kept tracking him and tracking him. She lost track of time and by the time she returned…” He shook his head.
“Oh father, you had already assumed the worst.” His chest clenched. “Father, you don’t know how hard this has been for me. I had to break the news to Kas, and then the shock sent her into labour. And then I went to find the others and she appeared out of thin air. I thought I was seeing a ghost! And then I had to tell her what happened and break the news that you’d left. It killed me to do it.” He shook his head. “And since then I’ve watched her and even though she smiles her eyes are always sad. That’s why I’m here. You must go back to her!”
“She’s alive?” Amari choked. “Truly alive? My golden sunshine? My dearest and most treasured love?” Amari shook his head and suddenly he was shaking so much that Chunuka thought he’d collapse. But he didn’t. He fixed his son with a serious glare and drew himself up.
“Chunuka. I can never thank you enough for what you did for our family. I only hope that one day you’ll birth a child who is as good to you as you are to me.” He leaned forward, buffeted his forehead against Chunuka’s. “Come on then, there’s no time to waste. Let’s get back to your mother.” And the thick-bodied lion turned and ran, ran faster than he had ever run before.
And at his side ran his golden son, matching his stride, matching his pace. Running in unison.
