Epilogue – The Promised Land
Keme regained his consciousness before sandstorm hit. He wanted to run, in search of Sukari, but Mhamiji, Tariki and Gebali stopped him. The dusty element was blowing with deadly might, able to kill any living creature, didn't matter how it was strong. So rogues kept their leader in rock-crack, the same that Golden Pride used as a shelter earlier night.
But then storm ended. Instead of keeping him longer, Mhamiji and Gebali (Tariki had own injuries, that made him poor carrier) helped chief to stand and walk. Keme had to lean on charges, because his wounded knee turned to be stiff and any its effort would cause the permanent damage. So four lions hobbled south with slow and careful pace. Only Keme was calling Sukari.
They found him just next to another crack and that wasn't a pleasant look. Head and part of lion's body were mutilated by fury of the Desert. Just some remaining scraps of mane – once brown, then marked with dusty red – told gerge it once had been their companion. Without word, Mhamiji and Gebali put Keme next to the body.
Yellowmaned hugged lifeless body of charge and for long moment he stayed silent. Other three lions looked on it from distance of few metres, too scared to say anything or break that moment of bereavement. All they knew was that they witnessed something they couldn't comprehend – the friendship and almost paternally love hard to understand for creatures who in their lives saw no friendship nor family bounds.
But time passed and another gentle blow of wind reminded gerge that standing in the middle of desert, thirsty and wounded wasn't the best idea. However they hadn't exactly thoughts about simple retreat.
"Keme…" stared Tariki slowly. "They can't be too far. Just stay here. We could catch those bastards and…"
"No." said yellowmaned. "That's enough. I was hurt enough. We are going to High Range."
Then he took a last look on dead body of Sukari and started a slow hobbling west. After a while of indecisiveness, three rogues followed him. They were gerge, after all. Keme was the only thing that left them from dreams of glorious future.
\/\/\/
Sparthi hobbled on three paws, often had to stop and take a deeper breath, but still he was faster than Zira, carrying Ghera. But he didn't call for sister nor mate, before he catch them up by his own. Goldenfurred failed to notice him – she was temporally deaf by the storm, in shock and putting all her might into walking ahead.
Sparthi had to be sure. He touched body of his mate to learnt it was completely lifeless. Then touched his sister's shoulder. Zira stopped and with surprising energy, turned aside, jumping in evasion. She didn't let Ghera fall, but she faced presumable enemy. Seeing that it wasn't rogue but her brother, she loosen her muscles, almost falling down. But just second after she was again ready.
"Zira…" said Sparthi with just weary tone, that she instantly knew that all was lost. "You could put her down."
Princess carefully kneeled, letting Ghera to slid down on the sand. Just then Zira learned that her sister-in-law was dead. She laid next to lifeless body, trying to overcome the dizziness and biting void inside of her brain.
Sparthi bended down to his dead mate, licked his lips and then also laid himself on the other side of dead one. They stayed without word for longer while, unable to make any move to even to think rationally. Perhaps rogue chase was on its way, but it wouldn't force siblings to any action. They have to understand what they had witnessed.
Finally Zira whispered.
"Again, I failed. Will you forgive me?"
"That's not your fault." Replied Sparthi. "We all pay for our mistakes. Ghera and I pay for ours." Then he looked on sister and added with ordering voice. "Go! Catch father up and guide them to that Promised Land. That's your duty as a princess of Golden Pride." He felt his cut tendon and he knew it was beyond his limits to go any further. And actually he didn't want to.
"I won't go without you." Said Zira, standing up. She looked on Ghera. "She will stay here, on the desert, as real Desert Lioness. We have to go." She bended down to her brother and then lifted his weak body to put in on her back. She thought she would faint, but somehow she stood it. "We are going south, right? To dad and others."
"To the Promised Land?" asked Sparthi mixing playful and desperate voice.
"I guess we haven't any other place to go." Replied Zira.
Every step on loose sand and under merciless sun, carrying the precious, but so heavy load, was a torment, but Zira knew it was proper as a atonement. For all errors she made, she had to be a great leader to make those up. She had to start instantly – by saving her brother. It was a long way, but the way to their haven, called Pridelands was long too.
"I will do it!" she thought. "I'm a children of the Desert. I will get there! Onward! March! March! March!"
March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March! March!
…Onward!
„The Promised Land" song. Tune is solemn, in moderate tempo, composed from acoustic guitar, gentle strings, rather quiet in verses. In choruses an orchestral assemble kicks in, much louder and in more vital, optimistic, a bit sublimed vein. Singing voice is Zira's, but from off – on capture she just carries her brother with lips shut and focused and decisive stare, fixed on sand before her.
Capture from the air. Camera zooms out from Zira carrying Sparthi to upper shot, showing them and more and more desert. As point of view is high enough, we see the magnitude of desert.
March! March! March!
Onward to our dream
The only thing that left
Is hope, that's barely seen
Bones of animals, fragments of trees, dead branches lie around, showing how strong and merciless the storm was. Cut to capture of Zira's paws. They are swollen, covered with numerous cuts, but she walks still, making a sure, large steps. She walks over the skull of some bovid, ignoring it.
March! March! March!
Whenever far it lies
The road is hard and steep
But still we have to try
Capture from Zira's eyes, with enormous desert, seemingly endless and her slow pace, at first glance, she doesn't move at all. But then she sees few clouds of dust, induces by weak wind. She sees some shapes, resembling Masa and Wivu. On second plan are some other silhouettes, probably Malkha and Dhalimu.
And even if our hope dies
And pain we know so well
We'll surely reach the paradise
Because we lived in hell
Capture on face of Zira, close zoom-in. She shakes her head, looks ahead with saner stare, but she also smiles with some spark of hope. She goes ahead, leaving those clouds that turn out to be just normal dust-cumuluses.
Chorus:
March! March! March!
There's oasis over sand
March! March! March!
Soon we'll reach our Promised Land
March! March! March!
But when Zira goes ahead, we see actual spirits of lions. All mentioned four is looking after princess. Then another silhouette comes there – it's Ghera. She sits among dead pridemates and looks after sister-in-law too. She is smiling with radiant smile – all anger she often showed in life ceased. Malkha comes to her and nudged her cheek with her nose.
Second verse:
We're not supposed to go on knees
But raise after we fell
If the God once gave us feet
He hopes we use them well
Zira and Sparthi go further, closing to small oasis where waits rest of the pride. Seeing that royal siblings come, few lionesses run to them, helping Zira. They are taken to small waterhole.
There's no one bound to fail
There's no damned from birth
With the every step we live
This road is life itself
Sparthi is put next to Arista. King sees that Ghera is absent. But he doesn't ask. He just hugs his son. A moment after Zira comes there and join that embrace.
And even if our hope dies
When you breathe, you live
We surely reach the paradise
If there's no hell worse than this
Faster pass of time and capture from the air. Night comes and passes. On the morning (all in "fast forward vision" lions form an array and sets off south-east.
Zoom out, we see not an actual ground but kind of map, where both Golden Sands and Pridelands are indicated. Cut to Golden Cave where, Kauli give some hunted rodent to old Hatibu. Then cut again to "map" and slow zoom in on Pridelands.
Chorus:
March! March! March!
There's oasis over sand
March! March! March!
Soon we'll reach our Promised Land
March! March! March!
Capture of Scar walking on Pridelands. With angry voice he gives some commands to restless hyenas. Then goes on savannah, north-west, watching a dusty clouds of sandstrom from over desert. He stops on some hill, on yellow and dried grass and looks ahead, exactly in the direction from where Zira will come in few day. He can't see her, but his curious stare foresees the future events.
Music fades off with repetition of chorus, where louder and more varied instruments add a tone of hope to that seemingly lost story.
Akheri
TakaPL
March-April 2008