Isha responded to Baba’s love by kindling new life within her. Baba had never witnessed pregnancy before, and he spent many days in anxious pacing as the evidence of his new family began to show.
“This waiting is killing me!” he said after two moons.
“What do you think it’s doing to me??” Isha asked. Then she laid on her side and motioned for him to come over. “Lay your head against me here. Now listen very carefully.”
Baba settled against her belly, straining to hear the sounds of new life. “Hey!”
“Did you hear anything?”
“No, but something moved!”
“Not something. Someone. Your child.”
Baba raised his head, a look of such beauty in his eyes that Isha had to reach out with a paw and stroke him. “Life is a miracle,” he murmured. “My beautiful Isha! I love you so!”
Isha did not follow Kako’s lead and hunt when she was having contractions. But she did hunt right up to her due date, taking a position as beater and leaving the main kill to the unburdened. Even that made Baba nearly split his hide. Mabatu had to reassure him that Isha knew what she was doing.
One day, Isha excused herself from the hunt. Worriedly, Baba asked her, “Are you all right?”
“It’s time,” she said.
“Time for what?”
“Time for Habu’s mantlement,” she said pointedly. “I’m having contractions!”
“Oh.”
When the full realization hit him, he nearly went into histrionics. “Where are the midwives?? Don’t you think Rafiki should be here?? They’re out on the hunt at a time like this??”
“Just relax and it will all be over soon,” Isha said. She could tell it was going to be a difficult delivery, and she wished that Rafiki could have been there to give Baba something for the pain.
“What are we going to do?”
Isha grimaced and breathed deeply. Trying to remain calm, she said, “Bring Mabatu here. My midwives will be midhusbands.”
“But I don’t know what to do??”
“I’ll talk you through it, Honey Tree. Just relax.”
Her water broke, and labor began in earnest. Throughout the stressful process, several cries of discomfort broke the stillness of the night, but Isha tried hard to ignore them. She brought out one, two, and finally three cubs.
“Remove the sacs,” she told Mabatu. “You can do it.”
He reached out with his paw, claws extended.
“No, use your teeth.”
“My teeth??”
“Hurry or they’ll suffocate!”
Grimacing with disgust, Mabatu pulled the membranous sac from each cub. “Eew!”
“Now Baba, you help lick them clean. Hurry, Baba! You wanted to help, didn’t you?”
Baba parted his lips and managed to part his tightly clenched teeth. He touched the first cub with his tongue and licked toward the face. After the initial shock, he relaxed and began to groom more vigorously. Mabatu took one of the others and began to groom. “It’s not SO bad.”
“Of course not,” Isha said, taking the third one and grooming quickly but lovingly. “Do you realize these are your children, Baba? And your grandchildren, Mabatu?”
“Yeah!” Baba said. “My children! Look how small and fragile they are! Look at those tiny paws and that little pink nose!”
Isha smiled proudly. “Two sons and a daughter. The sons will be N’ga and Sufa. But I’m unsure about the daughter.”
Habu came up. He regarded the small bundle of fur and said, “I’d like to name her Jona.”
A pained look came to Isha’s face. “Why that name, my son?”
“Because she was my friend. She was very special to me.”
Isha put her paw on his. “She was very special to me too. That’s why no more of my cubs must ever have that name. I already have two Mabatus to keep track of, honey tree. Let’s think of something else.”
Habu said, “Maybe we could call her Penda?”
“Rafiki’s little girl.” Isha thought for a moment, then smiled. “Yes, that is a good name. It means ‘beloved,’ and she will be.” She looked around at the three generations of males and nodded. “You were there when I needed you. I don’t know what I would have done without your help.”