"Touch of the Nisei" - читать интересную книгу автора (Burkitt John H., Morris David A., Layton Ian)

CHAPTER: THE MISSING HUNTRESS

In the initial confusion after the Battle for Pride Rock, frightened cubs began to come out of hiding and look for their mothers. With a squeal of delight, Isha found Habusu and Lisani alive and unhurt. Other cubs ran to their mothers’ sides to be kissed and fondled in the flush moment of victory.

Rafiki thought briefly of ways to purge Pride Rock of the hyena smell lions found revolting, but he knew that project was very low priority with so many wounds to heal. Not all the wounds were physical, either. Some of them were deep emotional wounds that would take time to heal. Sarabi sat by Taka’s body sobbing to see him laid open who had once lived for her affections. Isha went to the place where Jona and Minshasa had died during the drought. She looked up at the rain, a little bitter, then back at the place where they had lain in death. “I hope wherever you are, you know it’s raining.”

A few hyena stragglers were left on the Pride Lands but they were soon driven back into the elephant graveyard. In that sensitive moment, even the hyenas that sided with the lions wisely retreated across the border to let things cool off.

Finally, as the rain was beginning to taper off, the lions began to regroup and let Rafiki tend their wounds. It was during that informal meeting, as Sarabi was searching for the right thing to say to Elanna, that Sarabi noticed she was missing. Since Elanna was not in her cave on the rock, no one had any idea where she had gone. No one remembered seeing her during the fight. In fact, it was as if she had just vanished.

Since Elanna had left the cave only rarely, it was easy enough to follow her tracks down the side of Pride Rock, but in the wet grass, the scent was lost. Sarabi quickly ran to Simba.

“Son, Elanna can’t be found and no one has seen her since before the fight.”

Simba looked to her sadly. “Form a search party, Mother. May Aiheu guide you.”

Isha pointed out the hyena’s hidden cache of food and a few morsels of food were taken for quick strength. But without rest and heedless of their own wounds, the lionesses headed out and searched the fields, calling Elanna’s name. They knew why Elanna might try to make herself scarce. “Don’t be afraid!” Sarabi shouted. “By Aiheu’s whiskers, we only want to see you!”

After many hours of searching, nothing was found except her scent, which was quickly lost again. Then as the group was heading home in defeat, they turned towards some soft moaning in the grass. Hoping against hope that it would be Elanna they found instead a dying hyena.