As Akase’s time to bear cubs came close, Rafiki watched with special interest. No male mandrill had ever witnessed a birth before, and he was more than a little curious. But far more than that, he felt a kinship to these lives that he had already saved once.
As it was, Akase had already shown great affection for Rafiki, and had asked him to place his ear against her side to listen to the cubs moving about. Now how many mandrills had ever done that before!
“And when will we be hearing good news from the shaman?”
Rafiki smiled wryly. “Akase, let’s say no new arrivals are on the way yet, but not from lack of wishful thinking.”
Akase patted him affectionately with her paw. “Surely the gods will give you fine cubs. I want to be there when their eyes open.”
Rafiki tried to hide his amusement. “They are born with their eyes open. Of course they don’t see too well for the first few days.”
“I want to be their Auntie, if you’ll have me.”
“Have you? I’d like to see you try and squirm out of it!”
Uzuri came in. The hunt mistress looked at Rafiki and laughed.
“What’s so funny, madam?”
“I don’t mean anything wrong by it,” she said, giggling. “It’s just you’re so cute when you walk on your back legs like that.”
“That’s not very polite,” Akase said with a frown.
“Oh, that’s very polite coming from Uzuri,” Rafiki said with a warm smile. “Yesterday it was these colored stripes on my face. Before that, it was these colored stripes on my....other end.”
He saluted her and walked on by. Then Rafiki wheeled about and saw Uzuri staring at his buttocks with a broad smile. “You’re just jealous.”
Rafiki went on his way with a happy hum. Uzuri used to laugh at his appearance, but there was a good natured friendliness about her that warmed his heart. He wanted a witty come back line, but she was so beautiful and possessed a silky smooth manner that surrounded her like a turtle shell and deflected even the most determined attack.
Due to the difficult nature of Akase’s pregnancy, Rafiki had to stay near Pride Rock day and night. The extra time around lions had been very instructive. For one thing, they stopped acting like they had company and just acted like themselves. Mothers began to groom their cubs. Itches began being scratched, regardless of their location. But much more than this, talk became more loose and free. Rafiki learned more in those days about what lionesses think than he had in the whole rest of his time in the Pride Lands. He also discovered a joy that would rarely be his--napping wherever and whenever he liked. He had a lot of time to kill for the first time since he was very young. The lionesses would drop to the ground in groups, enjoying the contact. This posed a bit of a problem for Rafiki since he was a mandrill. But Uzuri quickly solved it. When she lay down and saw Rafiki’s searching face, she would pat the ground next to her and flick her muzzle back. And gratefully he would come and snuggle next to her. In those special moments, there was no need for humor in their relationship. And sometimes Rafiki discovered that if he lay very still and pretended to be asleep, Uzuri would touch his cheek with her warm, moist tongue and purr. He would fight very hard not to break out in a revealing smile and stay very still.
Long days passed which turned into long nights. Though Akase was getting restless, she was not allowed to hunt, and had to suffer through the performance of her “royal duty,” avoiding any possibility of endangering the already perilous pregnancy.
Rafiki was even more restless. While Akase was brought food from the hunt, he looked at the delicacies he was offered and almost wretched. He would smile and eat a little meat, but afterward had to step away and find fresh grass, then take a little Tiko Root to keep it down. He would easily use up a week’s worth of work at each meal as the precious herb was downed, but without it the meat would come right back up. The strong minty fragrance began to linger around him, coming out in his perspiration and every breath he exhaled. Then one day Uzuri came back from the hunt bearing a cluster of wild grapes as large as a melon. “Do you eat these?”
Rafiki seized the prize greedily. “Yes! Thank you!” He ate the whole cluster in one setting, then sat back with his stomach full to capacity for the first time in several days. The sensation made him a little sleepy, and he looked forward to another nap beside Uzuri.
“It’s time!” Akase shouted. “Hurry!”
Rafiki’s sleepiness vanished. He ran into the cave to where Akase lay, bathed in sweat and panting. While he offered her a gourd full of water, Uzuri took up her position as midwife.
“Are you all right?” Rafiki asked?
“I’m being slowly twisted in half. Otherwise, I’m fine.”
Uzuri nuzzled Akase. “How are the contractions coming?”
“Strong. Fast.” Akase stared at no one in particular and panted. “Oh gods,” she said. “Here they come!” Her water broke, and Akase gnashed her teeth. Her breath came deep and fast.
“I see a nose,” Uzuri said excitedly. She watched closely to see who was first born. “Here he comes!”
Rafiki watched in horror. Despite all he heard about birth being a beautiful thing and a miracle, he saw that it was also very gory in some respects. He quickly grabbed another sprig of Tiko Root and bit down.
“He’s a male! Oh, look at him!” Akase cleaned off the tissues and fluids with the excitement of a child opening a birthday present. “He’s so beautiful!” Actually, he looked to Rafiki like a drowned rat.
Another nose came out, shortly followed by the rest of a cub. “Another male! Twin sons!”
Akase smiled. “Twin sons!” Various other things came out, leaving quite a mess on the cave floor.
“He’s not breathing!” Uzuri prodded and licked the second cub. “Oh no, he’s dead!”
“The will of Aiheu,” Akase said quietly. “At least I have a son. That’s more than I ever thought I’d have.”
Rafiki was seized by a thought. Later he would say it could have been a vision. Queasiness was forgotten. He quickly grabbed the wet, dead cub from Uzuri and put him on the floor. With his hands together, he pumped the small chest a couple of times, then putting his mouth over the cub’s tiny muzzle, blew into it until the chest rose. He let the air run out, then repeated it.
“What are you doing??” Uzuri stared. “He’s dead. Let him rest in peace!”
“Bear with me.” Rafiki blew several more breaths into the cub, and then when he was about to give up, the cub grimaced, coughed, and took in a deep gasp.
“Oh my gods!” Uzuri shouted. “He raised the dead!”
“What happened?” Akase asked. “Did I hear what I thought I heard?”
“He’s alive!”
Swimming in a sea of elation, Rafiki held the little cub close to his heart. “Thank you, Aiheu! Thank you!” He kissed him and whirled about, holding his wet body to his face. “Oh, you precious little thing! God bless you! Live forever!”
“He must nurse,” Akase reminded him. “If you’re finished, my friend....”
“Oh yes.” He put the undersized cub next to his brother and watched the two of them draw life from their mother. He bent down and kissed Akase, then he went to Uzuri, hugged her and kissed her cheek.
“We have a custom,” Akase said softly. “You have saved his life twice now. You are his uncle now, and he is your nephew.”
“I like that custom.”
He looked down at the cub. “What is his name?”
“I call him Taka. And his brother is Mufasa. I had thought of those names for a long time.”
“Taka,” he said. “My little Taka.”
Then in the middle of his haze of joy, he remembered hugging and kissing Uzuri. He looked back over at her. A blush of embarrassment made the colors of his face all the brighter. She stared back at him, rubbing her cheek with a paw.
Quietly, he gathered up his staff, his empty water gourd, bowed to the queen and headed out.
He dared not look around, but could hear behind him the padding of lioness feet. As he headed at long last toward his baobab, he tried to be casual about it. Still the feet followed him. He cringed inside.
“Oh Rafiki?”
He stopped still but didn’t look around. “Yes, Uzuri?”
She came up beside him and sat down directly in his path. “Am I mistaken, or did you kiss me in the cave?”
“I think it was on the cheek, actually.” He made a feeble attempt at laughter. “I was just so happy for little Taka. You know, the cub I saved?”
“So that was it? You were so happy for little Taka?” Betraying no emotions, she drew closer. “Did you enjoy it?”
“I’m not sure. Should I have?”
She cracked a grin. “Why don’t you try again, and this time pay attention.”
He smiled an embarrassed grin and came forward. “Like this?” He put his arms around her neck, rubbing his hands along her side and nestling his cheek to her shoulder. “Uzuri, I enjoyed every moment of our time together. You are a very special lady, and very dear to my heart.”
She touched him with her tongue. “You must teach me how to breathe into a cub. Where did you ever learn that?”
“You know, I didn’t learn that,” he said, still holding tightly to Uzuri. “It just came to me.”
“That’s amazing.” She touched him with her tongue again. “You may let go now.”
“Oh.” He gave her another pat and let his arms slip down. “I got a little carried away.”
“That’s all right. But wash off before you hug me again.”
“Oh.” Blood and humors had matted his hair and made him smell like a newborn cub. “Ycch! Good heavens!” He left straightway for the creek.