Free Pride of the Plains by Colin Dann

Kimya snapped. Then she groaned, remembering Blackmane with sadness.
    â€˜Well, I didn’t kill both of them,’ Challenger leered. ‘What of the survivor?’
    â€˜He’s fully recovered,’ Kimya retorted. ‘You needn’t sound so smug. He’ll be ready when you come calling again.’
    â€˜How do you know I will?’ Challenger asked, amused.
    Kimya realised she had almost given herself away and was annoyed. She tried to recover ground. ‘Are you so easily put off?’
    â€˜Oh, no. How’s your sister? Still as close as ever, the pair of you?’
    Kimya blinked. The young upstart seemed to know all about her situation. Or was he guessing? ‘Closer,’ she fibbed. Now she saw the scars on his body and astonished herself by feeling a rush of sympathy. ‘How are your wounds? Still smarting?’
    â€˜Of course they’re still smarting,’ he admitted honestly, ‘I nearly died.’
    Kimya softened. ‘I’m … glad you didn’t,’ she heard herself saying. ‘One death was enough.’ She began to move away, aware that she had probably given the young lion encouragement without meaning to.
    â€˜Wait!’ Challenger called, trying to think of something that might detain her. He came closer. ‘Did your cub return?’
    Kimya was puzzled ‘My cub?’ Then she thought of Moja. ‘You mean—’ she began, then interrupted herself. ‘How do you know about him?’ she demanded.
    Challenger started to explain. Kimya was too impatient to listen. ‘You’ve seen him!’ she exclaimed. ‘Then he’s alive?’
    â€˜As far as I know,’ Challenger replied, and went on to describe how they had spent time together, omitting his own part in preventing Moja’s return. ‘I lost touch with him. I’m surprised he hasn’t found you by now.’
    Kimya suspected there was more to the story than she had been told. But all she could think of just then was to bring the glad news to Huru. ‘Thank you for this,’ she said. ‘I know someone who’ll be even more thrilled than I am to hear it.’ And she raced on her way without a second’s hesitation.
    Battlescars was hungry. Huru had moved the cubs to a place of concealment while she watched a group of zebra. She needed to make a kill. The male lion shadowed her reluctantly, waiting only for Kimya’s reappearance as an excuse to absent himself. Huru had no reason to trust Battlescars as a hunter – he had no flair for it – so she too looked forward to Kimya’sreturn. She would have been even more impatient had she guessed at the news her sister would bring.
    â€˜Sister!’ Kimya bounded up, panting and frolicking in her high spirits. ‘He’s alive! Our cub’s alive!’
    Huru forgot all about hunting. ‘Do you mean … can you mean …’ She was trembling.
    â€˜I mean Moja! Yes! He’s alive and somewhere not far away. I’ve been speaking to’ – her voice dropped to a whisper as Battlescars showed signs of interest – ‘the brave young lion.’
    Huru didn’t question Kimya’s motives in conversing with Blackmane’s killer. She was desperate to hear more about Moja. ‘Tell me all about it later,’ she said in a low voice as Battlescars joined them.
    â€˜Is it Moja you’re talking about? Where is he? How do you know he’s still alive?’ the old male demanded eagerly.
    Kimya gave him the chief facts. ‘I don’t know where he is,’ she finished. ‘But he’s feeding himself and surviving. He must come back soon. Oh, won’t the other cubs be delighted?’
    â€˜Food first,’ Battlescars decreed. ‘They need to eat. We all need to eat. Than we’ll decide what to do about Moja.’
    An hour later the pride slumbered, undisturbed by the noise of jackals and vultures