“What are we gonna do?” Kombi said in a small voice.

“I’ll not cast you out unprepared, son.” Simba laid a paw gently on his head. “We’ll patrol the Western plain tomorrow...together. Each morning, we’ll go out on patrol. Talk with your Mother; she knows a lot about the lay of the land. When we get back, I’ll show you how to fight.”

CHAPTER: A STRANGER WALKS

For the longest time, Ugas’ pride managed to hold together the fragile deception that kept their sovereignty intact. The lionesses doubled border patrols after reports from several revealed a rogue male had been observing the pride carefully.

Then one evening when Adhama said in her deepest voice, “This land is mine!” a distinctly male voice answered her from the bushes.

“Nice try! Now all you need is a mane!”

The worst had happened. Through long observation, the stranger had learned the patterns of the watch, and he easily slipped through where there were no sentries.

“The king will make you pay for this!”

“Are you the king?” He laughed. “What’s the problem, Sis? Am I that ugly?”

The lion stepped out into the moonlight. Indeed, he was anything but ugly, but she did not like his attitude one bit.

“He will be back soon,” she said. “Then you’ll pay!”

“Fine.” The stranger sat down and began to groom a forepaw. “I’ll wait for him right here.”

For several minutes that felt like several hours, Adhama stared at him icily. There was no sign of nervousness in his manner. He knew that he had won.

She bowed her head. “What good is it pretending. He’s dead.”

“Good. That saves me the trouble of killing him. In the meantime, I’m hungry. What do you have?”

“A little bit of wildebeest. Not much.”

“Not much?” He uttered a short, ugly laugh. “It’s an acquired taste, lady. When you’ve eaten ‘not much’ as long as I have, you never turn it down.” He frowned at her. “Well, do I have to draw you a diagram??”

Adhama’s heart sank. She rose and led him to the larder, watching in despair as their rations for the next two days disappeared in a matter of minutes.

“Is there any more?”

“No. There is no more.”

“Too bad.” He burped. “I was still hungry.” Licking off his paws, he said, “I’m Ambia. King Ambia now. You’re really lucky, you know. I almost went east, but instead I headed west, and here I am.”

“Well hooray and hallelujah.”

He looked at her with half closed eyes and scowled. “You must be the one that peed on the shrubs. The urine was very sour.”

CHAPTER: WALKING THE BEAT

As the days passed, Togo and Kombi began to feel the weight of a lion’s responsibility settling on their shoulders. It was a remarkably heavy burden.

Well before sunrise, Simba would rouse them and head off into the early morning mists, each day choosing a particular section of border or area to patrol. At night, as the sun set, they would return to Pride Rock, where Simba would instruct them in various modes of attack and defense. Only after finishing their lessons, far after the sky had turned dark and the stars had emerged, were they allowed to rest and eat their dinner.

Once Kombi protested this. “With all due respect, if I could eat first, I could concentrate better.

Simba simply looked at him. “This is no game, son. If you lose your meal in a fight, you go hungry. Concentrate on that.”

There were no further complaints after that.

The demands of patrolling and sparring practice were shaping the young lions. Their low, swinging bellies had given way to firm muscle. The young lionesses began to notice, and Kombi would strut about with a conceited swagger, showing off the merchandise. Togo was a bit more shy, and he shuddered when Visima rubbed along his body and ran a curious paw down his thigh.

Simba and the brothers began to range farther afield, even patrolling the dry and empty Western plains together.

Early one morning, the three had gone out to examine the border between the Pride Lands and hyena territory. Simba expected no real threat from Uhuru’s clan, and after greeting the hyenas who were doing their own guard duty, the morning passed slowly. Kombi ranged ahead slightly, practicing his rudimentary hunting skills as he followed the trail of an impala who had passed by recently. Togo and Simba followed at a distance, padding slowly across the ground in the gradually increasing heat.

“Sire?”

“Mmm-hmm?”

“Why do we patrol the hyena’s lands when they’re friendly? Isn’t it a waste of time?”

“Well, for one thing, it helps to keep an eye on things. If things turned ugly, we wouldn’t know about it until it was too late.”

Togo looked surprised. “You mean they might try and take over again?”

Simba grinned. “No, I doubt that would happen while Uhuru’s in charge. No, if they had problems, or needed help, though, we’d never find out by sitting at home lying in the sun. Besides, patrolling does more than establish your borders. Sometimes Uhuru meets me out here in the morning, and we talk together. He’s too busy to come to Pride Rock..and, well, I can’t go see him, either. He tells me what’s going on with the hyenas, we ask after each other’s families...”

“Wow,” Togo said. “All that just by walking the border?” He looked out across the savanna. “But doesn’t Zazu tell you about things like that?”

“Yes...but hearing about something, and seeing it for yourself are two different things. Besides, I can’t just sit at home. It means a lot to the other animals to see the King out and about, doing his duty. It’s a way to let them know he truly cares about them. My father did the same, as did his father before him.” Simba breathed deeply as he gazed about the plains of his home. “This land is mine. I was born here, I fought for it, and I will die here. I love it, and I will protect it along with my family and friends.”

Togo looked at the king with admiration, but his smile faded quickly. “It's a shame that we finally became friends too late.”

Simba stopped and glanced at him. “Too late? Why do you say that?”

“You know.” Togo sighed. “We only have two more weeks left. Then we have to leave your Pride Lands for good. I was born here, but I’ll never see it again. I’ll die out there somewhere far from home and I’ll never see you or Mom again!”

Simba nuzzled him on the shoulder. “Listen to me, Togo. In the next realm there is only one kingdom, and it belongs to Aiheu for his children. We will share that Kingdom forever, so friendships never really die unless you let them.” The king wrapped a huge forepaw around the young lion and hugged him close. “Enjoy this time while it lasts. Someday, you’ll be a King yourself. You must be strong enough to let Aiheu’s will be done.”

“What is it like to be king? Neat, huh?”

"It's like I told my son Tanabi--being King is not all fun. You think this is a long walk? Just wait till you’re walking your own borders in the driving rain with only Kombi to help you. You get lots of respect, and that’s nice. But you also work hard, and you have to make some unpopular decisions--even decisions that are unpopular with your own self, like your mantlement. I love you, Togo. I’m going to miss you terribly, and if there was some way to keep you here, I would."

"You mean that?"

"With all my heart. I’ll miss that scamp of a brother of yours too. I can truly say it won't be the same here without you."