by AustralianChaos » June 16th, 2010, 12:11 am
Auni's words penetrated Tanga's guilty haze, and he gave Auni a surprised, teary-eyed stare. "You...you really think so?" he asked shakily, finally managing to uncurl himself from his ball and sit back up.
But the last remnants of doubt still remained in his mind. Auni may be convinced that he was no coward, and that his moves were fully justified...but what about his parents? Were they sitting there, among the stars, happy for him for living on? Or were they disappointed in what he had become? As Tanga stared at the sky, he sifted through his memories of his cubhood for the first time in a long, long time...looking for something that would give him the answer he was looking for.
His memory drifted back to one night, out on the endless plains, under the stars with his mother, as she sang to him, like she always used to do. Tanga was starting to grow up at this point, the first traces of his mane starting to show...this was only weeks before he had run into Mufalfa. But he could still remember the mother's determined voice as she sang like it was yesterday:
Now the dark begins to rise,
Save your breath, it's far from over,
Leave the lost and dead behind,
Now's your chance to run for cover...
Tanga also remembered the message his mother had given him...to use this song in times of despair, to remind himself that it was perfectly acceptable to survive and run away...but to never give in, regardless, to always have hope, as Tanga's mind moved ahead in the song.
...I will not bow,
I will not break...
"I will not fall...I will not fade..." Tanga sang under his breath, although he figured Auni would be listening closely enough to hear him. He looked back up at the sky again, and this time, for the first time since he had been told about the Kings of the Past...he smiled at the stars.
"I know you are up there, now," Tanga said. "And I know how you feel." He hauled himself to hs feet, but his usual shy, submissive and grieving stance was gone. He stood tall and proud, his face set and determined. "I promised you that I would remember your song, mum...and I have mostly failed. But from this moment on, I promise you - both of you - that I will not bow! I will not break! And I will make you proud!"
He turned away from the sky and looked at Auni once more, knowing that the lion would most likely be stunned by his sudden shift in demeanour. "Thank you, Auni...I really needed that. You've opened my eyes to the truth, and I feel better for it now."
But his gaze turned back towards Mufalfa's lands, where Imani had run back off towards. "I made a promise...a promise I intend to keep fully!" He turned to face Auni once more. "What do you say, Auni...are you with me?"