CHAPTER: THE PHOENIX

Ugas trudged slowly along behind Adhama with an ache in his right shoulder that made him grimace slightly with each step. But it had been worth it to see Uzuri's sweet face. They neared the kopjes that served a home for the pride, and the old lion sighed and pushed through the edge of the grasses, emerging into a small clearing where the pride lay.

Lionesses lay scattered about in various spots, but they quickly straightened up nervously as they spotted him. Ugas had been very temperamental in recent days. Conversation dulled and fell silent as he paced past the group and settled onto the ground. His hip twinged again and he groaned.

A cub skittered past him, giggling, and he glared at her from under lowered lids. One of the lionesses hurriedly sat up and called softly. "Alyssa! Come back here!"

The cub slid to a stop and slowly crept back towards her mother under Ugas’ gaze. She glanced at him quickly, then she looked away when she encountered his stare.

Ugas saw the visible fear in her face and felt a thorn pierce his heart. "Alyssa?"

The cub came to an absolute standstill.

"Alyssa. Come here, Honey tree." He beckoned with a forepaw.

Slowly, trembling, she inched forward until she stood beneath his immense bulk. "Yes, sir? I’m sorry."

Ugas stared wonderingly at the shaking cub. "Sorry for what?”

“Whatever it is I did.”

“Did you just do something naughty?”

“I...uh...don’t think so, Sir.”

“Daddy will do nicely.”

“I’m sorry, Daddy.” She looked back at her mother and back at him.

“Don’t you want to give your old Dad a kiss?”

“I guess so.” She edged carefully forward, stretched out her neck and touched his foreleg with her tongue, then darted back a couple of feet.

“Honey tree?” He looked at Agavi. “Vivi, what’s wrong? Doesn’t she love me anymore?”

“She loves you,” Agavi said soothingly. “We all know you’ve been depressed since your brother died. And those aches and pains and now that crick in your spine. I know that a lot of noise and prodding makes you upset, so I told her not to disturb you.”

“Upset?? Since when have my children ever make me upset?? Maybe I like to be disturbed!”

Adhama said, “Let me field that one, hon.” She looked piercingly at Ugas. “Lately, everything makes you upset. You snap at us all the time and think we’re supposed to rub your shoulder all the time and say ‘poor baby’ and ‘there now, that’s a good fellow.’ Well it’s taking its toll on your popularity, as if you haven’t noticed!”

Ugas snarled. “Since when have I snapped at anyone??”

Adhama said, “Oh, that’s a tough one.” She frowned. “Shame on you, carrying on like this in front of the children!”

Ugas sat down, nonplused. “Well, maybe I have been a little....” He glanced over at little Alyssa. “Oh, the poor dear!”

He went to the cub. When she shrank from him, the pain that drew his face was not from his shoulder. “I love you, Lissie.”

Alyssa's jaw trembled and she almost cried. "I love you too, Daddy."

"There's my girl!" He rolled over on his back, scooped her up with a paw and when she stood trembling on his stomach for one moment, pulled in his back legs and arms, lifting her up wriggling on a pedestal of four paws. He began to pump her up and down. "Three baby bunnies a hopping around. Three baby bunnies hop over the ground. If you keep hopping, you'll never start stopping, but you'll get away from the hound!" His legs shot out straight, tossing her into the air. She fell giggling with a sound plop. His stomach was not as firm as it used to be, but he hid his discomfort. He held her to his chest and nuzzled her softly, kissing her with his warm, pink tongue and grunting with pleasure when she kissed him back and rubbed along his soft mane. “I’m never going to be gruff with my little girl again! I promise!” He nuzzled her, then looked over at the other cubs who were watching him closely. “And that promise goes for the rest of you too! Come here, you little scamps! Rides for everyone!”

The other cubs rushed over and mobbed the two of them. Ugas rolled about laughing as a crowd of cubs tickled him, pounced on his tail and tugged at his mane. “Oh, I love you all so much! I could just eat you up!” He would be bouncing bunnies for a long, long time before he got a rest.

Alyssa's mother watched Ugas rolling about, bellowing laughter at the cubs around him. Nudging Adhama with her paw, she asked, "What's got INTO him? You'd think he was young again!"

Adhama smiled. "Young again? Don’t you mean alive again?"

“Up we go!” Ugas cried, hoisting another giggling cub. “Now let your Daddy catch his breath....”