"When you are a King, forget not that the Antelope graze on 
	your ancestors!"

					-- Wisdoms of Jabani

Ahadi sat on the tip of the promontory, bathed in the warm glory of the 
morning sun.  Young Mufasa was as close to the edge as his father would 
allow, watching at the distant herd of wildebeests.  Their movement 
across the plain mesmerized him as the herd changed shape like a single 
dark cloud.  Taka was snuggled between Ahadi's arms, his back and head 
buried in the soft mane that wrapped his father's face.  Ahadi looked 
down at Taka and quietly kissed him between the ears.  There was no need 
to say anything in that moment, and Taka simply rubbed his face against 
one of Ahadi's powerful arms and touched it with his tongue.
	The morning lesson had to come soon; before long, Mufasa would be 
too engrossed in games and adventures to concentrate on learning.  Were 
Taka an only son, things would have been much simpler, for he was 
blessed with the patience and curiosity of his mother.  He absorbed 
knowledge as dry earth absorbed rain.
	Ahadi looked into the distance at the setting moon, and a slight 
wind stirred his mane as the morning winds ushered in the new day.  
"From the start there was Aiheu the Beautiful," Ahadi said.  His voice 
could be loud and commanding but that moment it was as soft and pleasant 
as a warm hug.  
	"Aiheu was the first of the living and the cause of all life.  He 
had many spirit children, and he shared his love and knowledge with 
them.  It was a happy time, but still unfulfilling for the lives of 
spirit children were of thought alone.  And Aiheu sensed that his 
children were longing for something more.
	"So Aiheu went to the world of Ma'at which at that time was 
completely dark and sterile.  He put two lights in the heavens, the sun 
and moon.  And the brightness of the sun caused the water to form 
clouds, and wherever the clouds rained on the dry earth, green plants 
grew.  And so in time the world of Ma'at was changed from ugliness into 
beauty.
	"And Aiheu summoned his spirit children to show them his work.  
The beauty of the land was the first thing they had ever seen, and they 
were very pleased.  For a time, they explored the world, some preferring 
the skies, others the ground, others the trees, and others the waters.  
And yet they were still unfulfilled, for the sun did not warm them, the 
breeze did not cool them nor the waters wash them, and they could not 
feel the grass beneath their feet.  And they asked Aiheu, `What does 
this land have to do with us?  We are strangers here.'  So Aiheu 
moistened some soil with water, and with his hands shaped the first 
bodies.  Some were fish, others birds, and others the animals that 
walked on land and climbed trees, each according to the domains they 
were created for.  When he breathed into the bodies, they took on life 
and became dwelling places for spirit children.  Because they were 
finally part of the world, they could feel the warm sun, the cool 
breeze, the waters and the grass.  They had these and many other 
pleasures, but they were given a warning.  The price of pleasure is 
often pain.  And it was not long until they had all felt pain, yet they 
assured Aiheu that pleasure was worth the price.  This was the first 
agreement, that pleasure is worth pain."
	Taka nudged his father's leg.  "Why did some spirits want to be 
birds, and some want to be fish?  I was just born this way and I didn't 
get to choose.  Did they get to choose?"
	"That's a good question.  Why do YOU think they chose the way they 
did?"
	"I don't know.  I mean, who'd want to be a bird when you could be 
a lion??  They're safe and their strong, and they're so cool."
	"And they have to outrun dinner, and they get gored by impalas and 
they don't know what it's like to fly.  Aiheu gave blessings to all his 
children."
	"Oh."
	"Are you happy being what you are?"
	"Sure."
	"Why, if I may ask?"
	"Because if I was anything else, I wouldn't be your son."
	Ahadi cuddled him next to his heart with his broad, strong paw and 
purred deeply.  "And I wouldn't be your father, so we're both glad."  He 
nudged Taka and smiled slyly, pointing at Mufasa.  Unaware of his 
audience, Muffy kept glaring at the wildebeest herd as his father 
continued in a normal teaching voice:
	"Lions have several blessings.  They get to eat dirt and roll in 
elephant dung.  And when they're really lucky, they get to jump in the 
thorn bush and flop around until their hides are red with blood.  ISN'T 
THAT SO, MUFFY??"
	"Of course," Mufasa said, looking around.  "Everyone knows that."
	"You do that as often as you should, don't you?"
	"Uh, yes sir.  Maybe I forget sometimes, but not very often."
	Taka began to giggle and roll on the ground.  "Eat dirt and roll 
in the dung!"
	Mufasa looked at his brother sharply.  "Well, maybe I missed a 
little bit."
	Ahadi nodded with a wry smile and continued.  "Now that we're all 
listening, understand that those bodies of Ma'at were not permanent.  
Earth, water and air may only rest apart.  When they are mixed, they 
become restless and strive to separate.  That is why death and decay are 
part of the world, for the elements will eventually prevail.  Aiheu knew 
this, so he took steps to prevent the world from becoming sterile.  He 
went to the Lake of Mara and changed its waters into the first milk.  
And all animals were brought together to drink from it.
	"Milk fertilizes animals the way rain fertilizes plants, for it 
makes soil, water and air content to mix for a time.  And all those who 
drank milk obtained the gift to produce milk in their bodies.  The milk 
of the male could awaken new life in his mate, and the milk of the 
female could sustain it.  For no living thing except Aiheu can create 
life from the ground by breathing into it.  This was the second 
agreement, that life should always continue."
	Mufasa rolled on his back and looked up at his rudimentary teats.  
"Gosh, I didn't know we could give milk!"
	"Further back, nit-wit," Taka said with an amused smile.  "Gods, 
sometimes you act so dumb!  When you get married, you sit on your wife's 
tail and she'll have babies!"
	"Taka!" Ahadi shouted with a frown.
	Taka flattened out on the ground, glanced at his father's stern 
face, then looked away and shuddered.  Indeed he looked so miserable, 
Ahadi could not remain angry and he came and nuzzled him.  
	"Son, we'll discuss it later.  Some things you need to hear from 
your father, not your little friends."
	"You're not mad at me?"
	"No, son.  Surprised maybe, but not mad.  But don't ever call 
Muffy a nit-wit.  Sometimes he has a little trouble paying attention, 
but he's bright and what's more, he loves you very much."
	Mufasa glanced at Taka plaintively, then shyly looked away.  In 
his own way, his feelings were as easily hurt as his brother's, but he 
had different ways of showing it.
	"Come here, son.  Well, Muffy?"
	Mufasa looked at Taka, then looked away, and crept to his father's 
side.  Ahadi nuzzled him.  "I'm sure Taka is very sorry he said that."
	Taka looked down and very quietly, very shyly said, "I'm sorry.  I 
shouldn't have called you a nit-wit.  Friends?"
	Mufasa waited a while--he felt that Taka deserved to squirm for a 
moment.
	"Well, son?"  Ahadi nudged him and nodded slightly.  "Do you 
accept his apology?"
	"Yeah.  I guess so."
	Ahadi smiled wryly and nudged him.  "You guess so?"
	"Okay."
	Taka hopped up and down.  "Oh goodie!  Does that mean I get a big 
wet smooch?"
	"I'll smooch YOU!" Mufasa shouted, charging.  He tangled with 
Taka, wrestling with abandon and giggling.
	"STOP!"  Ahadi was livid.  "Not up here!  My gods, do you want to 
fall off and get killed??"
	Mufasa looked back at his left foot.  Two of his toes were 
actually over the edge, and trembling he crouched and slinked away from 
the sheer drop-off.
	"Now then, let's finish the lesson while I still have my nerve."  
Ahadi looked off the promontory, cringed, and took in a deep breath, 
letting it out in a sigh.
	"The world was very large, but it was not without limits.  So 
Aiheu offered his children two paths.  Either they could choose who may 
carry on the line, or they could all be treated equally and Aiheu would 
find another way to control them.  And they all said, `Treat us 
equally,' for no one wanted to be the one to live alone.  So Aiheu chose 
some animals to be hunters and others to be hunted that they may keep 
the earth in balance.  Thus arose all the peoples and their ways that 
carry on to this day.  This was the third agreement, that a full life 
involves struggle.
	"Aiheu separated them into two groups, and one group dwarfed the 
other.  `To the greater group, I give the plants of the field and the 
fruits of the trees.  But lest you strip the earth of all green things 
with your offspring, I give the lesser group a taste for blood.  To them 
I give the eaters of plants.'
	"Some of the plant eaters were upset and cried out to God that 
they should not all die.  To this, Aiheu answered, `I offer you to the 
hunters, but they must catch you first.  Be vigilant, wise, and careful, 
and you will not perish from the land I give you.'"
	Ahadi looked at Taka and Mufasa.  "What does this mean?"
	"Me, me!" Taka chimed.
	"Let your brother get this one."
	Mufasa thought for a moment.  "Well, I think...."
	"Go on."
	Taka huffed.  "He wasn't paying attention!"
	"No, Taka.  Let him take his time."
	Mufasa said, "It means that God is fair.  It also means that we're 
all really brothers, and even though we kill antelopes and eat them, we 
shouldn't hate them because they're people just like us."
	Ahadi smiled and nuzzled him.  "That's EXACTLY what it means.  
See, Taka, your old father doesn't have dim children!"  Ahadi nuzzled 
Taka.  "Do I, Taka?"
	"Oh, Dad!"
	"Well??"  He began to tickle him.
	"I guess not.  He he!"
	"You guess not??"
	Giggling and squirming, Taka said, "OK, OK!  He he he!  Cut it 
out, Dad!  Daaaad!"
	"Well all right then!"
	When Ahadi sat upright again, Taka quickly sat back against his 
father's chest and snuggled into his mane.
	"And when Aiheu had set this into motion, he showed them that it 
was not random, but part of his plan from the beginning.  The cycles of 
birth, growth, death, and decay were like four legs-they had to work 
together to travel anywhere.  Yet from his steadfast love, he would have 
his children accept the three agreements of their own free will.
	"Some beings did not choose to accept these agreements.  These 
spirit children were the first Nisei, which are the good spirits which 
oversee the balances of creation.  They are often called the minor gods, 
though they are truly brothers to the animals.  The major gods arose 
from the lake of milk, and they were all kindly like Aiheu.
	"Then one day Koko the gorilla came along.  He wanted a son, 
though no female would pledge to him.  So he made a crude baby out of 
mud, but not having the wisdom of Aiheu it was only in the outward shape 
of one.  He threw the mud into the lake and it melted, spoiling the 
milk.  From the fouled milk of Mara arose the terrible race of the 
Makei.  Just enough mud had been cast into the lake that they could take 
the shapes of Ma'at, but not the substance.  And while they longed for 
pleasure, they were unable to experience it.  Grief and anger, however, 
were theirs and they plumbed them to the depths for only when they were 
sad or angry did they feel alive.
	"They cried out to Aiheu.  `Lord!  Why have you given us only 
pain?  Where is our beauty, our happiness?'
	"And Aiheu wept, for their suffering was dire.  And he said, 
`Though the cause does not lie in your own actions, you are polluted.  
Do not be filled with resentment, but rather be mindful of the hope I 
offer you.  Cleansing comes from within, in a clean heart and truthful 
witness.  You will be sorely tempted by the mud, but you are also full 
of my milk, and it will overcome all else if you let it.  Remember in 
your darkness that my light is with you, shining on the true path.'"
	"What happened to the gorilla?" Mufasa asked.
	"Koko confessed what he did before Aiheu, and he was pardoned.  
Aiheu gave him authority over the mud to purge the lake, and he became 
the keeper of the lake until it was finally drained at the end of the 
first era.  Because he drank from the milk each day, he only began to 
age when the lake was no more, and his days were two hundred and seventy 
years."
	Taka said, "But if it kept him alive all that time, wasn't Aiheu 
rewarding him for doing something wrong?"
	"Who said it was a reward?" Ahadi asked with a sly grin.  "How 
would you like to guard that watering hole for two hundred and seventy 
years?"
	"I see what you mean."
	"Personally, I'm glad that if I take care of you, God willing I'll 
die first as is the natural order of things, and I'll never have to 
watch my sons die."
	"But I don't want to watch you die either!" Taka said, pressing 
tighter against his father.
	"Of course you don't.  But by then you and Sarabi will be married 
and have lots of cubs to take care of.  The same way I miss my parents, 
but I spend most of my time thinking about you two and your mother.  
Someday you'll have people to take care of, and it won't hurt as badly 
as if it happened right now."
	He continued with the story:  "I would not have you ignorant 
concerning death, for Aiheu has provided for his children.  When an 
animal dies whose life is acceptable to God, it becomes one of the 
second Nisei.  They oversee the welfare of those they left behind.  The 
greatest of the second Nisei are the Great Kings of the Past and those 
whom Aiheu has blessed for good service.  Koko became one of the second 
Nisei.  And then there are animals whose deeds are constantly evil, and 
they join the Makei.  These are doomed to walk the earth without bodies 
until they find the image of Aiheu within themselves and seek redemption 
through service.  They are called the Makei, which means `the bringers 
of tears,' for their suffering makes Aiheu weep.
	"The first children of Aiheu were close to their God and to each 
other, for their spirits had roamed free together.  But their children 
who were born to bodies of soil were not able to hear the words of the 
Lord.  To keep the peoples from losing touch with him entirely, Aiheu 
anointed some children with holy chrisum that from birth they may hear 
him when he speaks.  And these he called shamans.  They were strictly 
charged to bring the word of God to his peoples with honesty and 
unselfishness.  A lying shaman is worse than the Makei, and Aiheu will 
not weep for them nor will he repent of his anger."
	"Are there any lion shamans?" Taka asked.  "Are they all monkeys 
like Makedde and Rafiki?"
	Ahadi laughed a little.  "There were a few lion shamans, but not 
very many.  We have a lot of work to do, protecting our family and 
ruling responsibly.  Many more were lionesses, but they usually have to 
hunt for their mates and cubs."
	"And monkeys don't have as much to do?"
	"I wouldn't say that," Ahadi said.  "Every time I see Rafiki, he's 
busy."
	"Yeah, just like you."  Taka sighed.  "If God put us into this 
world to have fun, why do we have to work all the time?"
	"Sometimes I wonder that myself," Ahadi said, kissing him.  "But 
you know what?  When I'm out there patrolling the borders, I think about 
my sons and my mate safe at home, and it gives me a warm feeling inside.  
Somehow when I come home the love I get is much better because I feel 
like I've earned it.  The hard times make the good times feel more 
special."  Ahadi smiled.  "Story's over.  You can go play now."
	Mufasa ran and kissed Ahadi good-bye, then he bounded off like a 
liberated prisoner.  Taka continued to snuggle against Ahadi's soft 
mane.
	"What's wrong, Taka?  Why don't you go and play?"
	"You said we'd talk later.  I want to get it over with."
	"You're shaking, my son.  Why?  I'm not angry with you!"
	"You're not?  Honest?"
	"I don't say things I don't mean."  He gently pressed Taka into 
his soft chest with a paw.  "I just want to know what your little 
friends told you.  I'm not even going to ask their names."
	"Oh."
	"You can play with Muffy now.  We'll talk later.  I'm an 
experienced lion, and I can tell you things your young friends never 
even dreamed of.  Then when they tell you nonsense, you can smile and 
think about how foolish they are."
	Taka smiled with amusement and started to walk off.
	"Forgetting something?"
	Taka turned, horrified.  He rushed back to Ahadi and when the King 
bent down kissed him several times.  "Dad, you know I love you.  I just 
forgot.  Honest!"
	"I know.  You see, I know Muffy loves me because he tells me every 
day.  But you never have to tell me.  Everything you do shows it."
	Taka stood on his back feet and put his paws into his father's 
great mane.  He stood there rubbing his face against his father for 
several moments before standing down and going to look for his brother.  
Ahadi reached up with his paw and felt the spot where his son had been, 
smoothing down his mane.  "I'm going to have to say that again 
sometime."

Bookmark/Search this post with:

delicious | digg | reddit | newsvine | furl | google | yahoo | technorati