The Scaring of Taka

by Phil Johnson
Email:PJSlasher@AOL.com (all comments to this or any of my works welcome 
with open paws!)

	Mufasa couldn't be happier. A small red, blue, and green butterfly 
landed on a small branch ahead, and he pounced at it like a small golden 
lightning bolt. The insect must have seen him coming, because it flew 
into the air just before being captured.
	Another cub was practicing pouncing nearby. His darker skin helped 
him look like a shadow in the grass. "I'll show you how to pounce," he 
silently told his victim. "You're gonna be the next king, so it's my 
obligation to teach you how to do this right."
	In reality, the entire pride recognized how much potential both 
cubs had for the future. Mufasa was the stronger, taller, and more 
impressive cub, but Taka could convince anyone to do anything for him 
with his intelligence, and never got into a fight he couldn't talk his 
way out of, which basically was all of them. Everyone knew they would 
both would make fine kings one day, and any rivalry was done in fun with 
a laugh in the air.
	Taka closed on his target, his brother. "Stay quiet, don't let 
them know you're coming." He crouched, preparing to leap out. Before he 
could, however, he noticed a growing shadow circling his brother.
	Mufasa was so intent on the butterfly he failed to notice the 
shadow until too late. He turned and, with his mouth falling open in 
fear, saw a large hawk descending on him. He would have tried to run and 
hide, but the bird was on him before he had the chance.
	Using everything he had learned in fighting practice with Taka, he 
tried biting and slashing at the hawk. Unfortunately the hawk had the 
ability to fly, something he had never had to deal with before.
	Taka was stunned stiff for an instant, then regained his senses. 
He leaped out, but instead of pouncing on his brother, he pounced on the 
hawk. The bird landed on it's back, but kept fighting with both talon 
and beak.
	Both cubs fought as a team, trying to stop the danger without 
getting hurt. However, only a few seconds into the fight the hawk's 
right foot connected with Taka. He was knocked away, but came back and 
fought as best he could. Mufasa glanced over when he could, but he was 
on his brothers right side. The only thing he could see on Taka was a 
little dirt and some blood dripping from the end of his muzzle. 
Eventually the two killed the hawk, with Mufasa ripping open it's throat 
with his claws. Finally he got a chance to look at his brothers wound. 
"Taka....." was all he could say. Taka's entire left side of his face 
shone bright red. His eye was swelling shut, and blood was dripping off 
his cheek like a small stream. "We gotta get you home!"
	Not having the strength to protest, the two started walking home 
together. They weren't out of sight from the hawk's body when Taka 
stumbled. "I...can't..." he said.
	"Yes, you can!" Mufasa tried helping his brother up, but Taka 
couldn't stand. "OK, you wait here. I'll get dad!" Taka's eyes closed 
watching Mufasa running off. "OK, will do" he said weakly.

	Taka woke up, then wished he hadn't. He slowly started crying, and 
was surprised to hear a sigh of relief. "Hey, you awake Taka?" The voice 
seemed far away yet it rebounded in his head, making his headache worse. 
Still, it was unmistakably his father's voice.
	"It...it hurts....." was all he could say between whimpers.
	His father gave him a long lick over the left side of his face. It 
helped clean the wound, but also had the healing property of any parents 
kiss. "that any better?"
	Dispite his headache, the little cub managed to smile. "Yeah, 
thanks." He opened his eyes, but everything looked weird. He tried to 
stand, but immediately got dizzy when he tried to walk. "What's wrong 
with me?"
	His father held him close and nuzzled him softly. "you lost a lot 
of blood. that was a nasty cut you got." He paused before saying 
anymore. Then he bit onto a large turtle shell full of water, left there 
by Rafiki for the cub to drink. He pulled the shell over to his son. 
"Look in the water and see."
	the cub got up and, with help from his fathers paw, made it over 
to the shell and looked at his reflection. His left eye was large and 
red, swollen completely shut. The "cut", a long deep gash, could be seen 
going over that eye. "Am I gonna stay like this?" he asked, his eye 
hurting as it worked to tear up with its partner.
	"No, Rafiki says your eye will open, you just need time. The cut 
will leave a scar though." he paused, trying to think of the right way 
to say what was next. "Taka, Mufasa told me everything that happened. 
About the hawk, your getting back up and everything. Son....I want you 
to know how..."
	"Upset you are, right? That I wasn't smart enough to get out of 
the fight without getting hurt?" He was still teared up, yet somehow 
found a way to approach tears.
	"No, how proud I am of you. You saw that hawk come down, and you 
knew how dangerous it was. Yet you still jumped on it and probably saved 
your brothers life. Even after nearly having your eye cut out, you 
fought with him side by side. If you were smart, you would have run away 
when you saw the hawk. Since you ran ahead instead of away, I'd consider 
that scar a mark of bravery and love."
	Taka was confused, mainly because he had lost too much blood to be 
paying attention to anything. Then he saw his brother walking backward 
toward him, dragging something. "I thought you could use some food to 
get your strength back." Taka looked, as best he could. His brother had 
dragged the hawk all the way to Pride Rock.
	Taka looked at his father and brother, then turned to see his 
mother, who had held him in her paws till he woke up. Then he walked 
over to the hawk and started eating, feeling more loved then ever before 
in his life.