Old Fabana was watching some lion cubs playing from the shade of a friendly acacia. It was nearly mid-sun, and she slowly, stiffly got to her feet. “Come on, children! Time for your nap!”
“Oh Auntie Fay, can’t we have a little longer?”
“No, Lakayla. Your growing body needs its rest.”
Slowly, but with a proud bearing, Fabana led the lion cubs to the cave.
“Where did your other eye go?” Lakayla asked.
“I must have forgotten it. Oh, it will turn up one of these days.”
Lakayla laughed. “I’m serious.”
“I was attacked by a large animal. A dog.”
“They’re fierce creatures that just want to kill for the fun of it. That’s what mom says.”
“Your mom is wrong.” She looked back on Fielder with the wisdom of age. “Dogs are vulnerable, just like us. They have feelings that can be hurt, and they can want things so much that they can go too far and do something they regret. Then they feel bad--just like us.”
“You mean you don’t hate the dog?”
“Once I did. Now I feel sorry for him.”
“What did he want?”
“Something I couldn’t give him.” Fay nuzzled her. “Run along now, and don’t ask so many questions.”
Fabana settled to the cool floor of the cave, and the other cubs piled on her one by one to form a large heap.
Tanabi eyed her and smiled. There were times he forgot she was a hyena and thought of her as just another one of the pride sisters. She stayed behind with the cubs when the lionesses went out to hunt, freeing up another lioness to gather food.
Though she was rather frail with age, none of the cubs dared to challenge her authority, even those larger and more robust. She could even make Marli’s cubs behave.
Of course Roh’mach Bashak and his family would always greet Fay affectionately when they’d visit Simba. When this happened, invariably some of the lions--usually the very young--would ask Fabana why she didn’t live with her people.
“But I do. My people are the ones that love me. Some were hyenas, like Jalkort, my parents, and Ber. Others like you are lions. It’s all in what you call family.”