John Burkitt - The Spirit Quest

The two brothers stumbled in sleepily, rubbing their eyes. The sight of the radiant Akase and Ahadi immediately aroused them, though. Metutu bowed low before Ahadi. "Your Majesty."

Ahadi nuzzled him so suddenly and hard, it rolled Metutu over. "Metutu, I owe you more than I can repay." He kissed the mandrill with his warm, moist tongue. "Bless you! You have saved my wife and children. If there is anything you desire, name it."

"Your Highness, I heal out of love. Love brought me here, and love taught me the secret. I want your friendship."

"You already had that. Surely, there must be something else?"

"Well..." Metutu looked at Makedde shyly, who nodded. "Your Highness, my brother grows old, and will soon be replaced by a new shaman. If you love me, let me remain here. Tell my brother that you have captured my heart. If I had to leave, I would have no more heart."

Ahadi looked at him for a long moment. "This is what you would have of me?"

"Y-Yes. If it is too much trouble, I'll understand."

"Metutu, let me tell you something." Ahadi leaned close, until his face loomed in front of Metutu's. "Should your Council of Elders dare to appoint anyone else but you as my shaman when Makedde is relieved, I shall be displeased. Very displeased. Understand?"

"I understand." Metutu kissed his mane. "I love you, Ahadi."

Ahadi smiled. "Yes, I can see it in your face. And that face is anything but plain to me, my little striped friend. There is another way I will show my gratitude. From this day on, you shall not be called Metutu but Rafiki, for you are my true friend."

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.