A Bride For Mufasa

The Story of Sarabi

Part One: Touched by Moonlight

The moon began to appear as a great dark clouds pulled away from its glowing silver disc form within the sky. Its great beams began to fall upon the land and their motions toward the den made King Bhekabantu of the Southern Kingdoms leap up from the ground outside in delight. Beside him the aged, bony form of his grandmother Klinya pulled herself up off the ground and yawned lazily as she looked to the direction of the moonlight and the form of their shaman shuffling from the edge of the den. The bronze lioness gave a grunt and then nipped her golden grandson’s shoulder and nudged him forward.

Bhekabantu turned to her in surprise, his eyes widening in hope that he might have been granted a gift by the moon spirit that his family had prayed to since the land had been part of the ancient Thirteen Kingdoms. The large bronze animal bounded to the den with a massive smile on his face as he heard the heavy breathing of his mate and noted the African hunting dog Shaman of their pride, Machopana, speaking to her calmly. Bhekabantu had never felt so happy in his life but he also felt a pang of regret as well.

His promise to Linda had been clear; once the heir was chosen she would belong to his brother and their marriage would be over. For that fact she’d been forced to be his and forced to have his children, Bhekabantu felt pathetic and cruel, but the sound of squeaks and mews from newborns made his nose twitch with excitement.

As he stepped to the den he noticed the golden body of his partner and the squirming dusty coloured forms clustered to her. She looked to be in pain still and the old nearly silver patched hunting dog was checking her rear and shaking her head in frustration. Bhekabantu was cautious but he could already see that the light of the moon was swimming over the figure of one golden cub in particular that appeared to have tried to scrabble away from its squabbling companions.

“Look Machopana, the moonlight has already chosen my heir for me. Isn’t that fantastic?” Bhekabantu smiled in joy as he settled down in the den opposite his mate and held his paws open. The cub caught the smell of lion and the sensation of heat and shuffled blindly towards his form. He was startled and delighted at the cub as it touched his paws and tried hard to suckle on his toe. “Look at him, trying to figure out the world already.”

“That he is a she my lord… you should wait for this last cub to be born before you proclaim your daughter the heir. So far you have had only daughters.” Linda, now panting with heaving sighs growled as she seemed unhappy at the sight of the cubs clustered to her chest. Four daughters had been born already and she was hoping that the fifth child would be a boy so that she could end her marriage quickly and remove herself from these atrocious wailing babies! Linda had never wanted to become a mother and certainly not to a lion she did not even love. Her anger was visible as she strained in the production of a fifth cub and suddenly Machopana spoke.

“It’s another girl, but I don’t think she’s breathing. There’s stuff in her throat, I’ll have to shake it out of her.” The old half-blind and nearly toothless animal grunted past the bone pieced through her bottom lip. The animal grasped the prone child inside its strong jaws as delicately as was possible; when it sat fully within her mouth she shook her head to the side until the cub gave a violent squeal and vomited slim onto Linda’s back. Linda suddenly vomited herself and Bhekabantu grimaced before picking up the cub in his paws and passing it over to his mother.

“The moon has chosen the heir… she will be Queen Sarabi and she will be a great queen… I can see it.” Bhekabantu began before looking at the final cub that was born and placed near her sisters. Smaller then the rest and a little delicate with a pale coat, Bhekabantu smiled warmly and nuzzled his upset wife. “You’ve done beautifully… now I must tell grandmother.”

Without another thought to his upset and frustrated queen, the great lion bounded out of the cave. He hurried toward the wobbling form of the cackling old lioness as she headed toward a place to rest. With a joyful grunt he informed her of the result and thanked her for advising him to ask the moon. Old Klinya grinned through her ancient scars and then gave a chuckle as she looked up to the sky.

“The child is bound to the fate of whatever kingdom is praying to the moon tonight my boy… nothing is given for nothing.”


Indeed… for at the same time the cubs had been born and the old lionesses had cackled away, the half-blind eyes of a lioness was turned toward the great pale orb. The lioness was all alone in a terrifying place amongst the high rocks on the boarders of the Pride Lands. She had managed to get this far and yet she knew she would not be able to go any further. As much as the lioness had hoped to escape to some allied pride and gain allies to save her friends… the children at her side were all far too tired. Amongst them a large golden cub, as radiant as sunlight even at such a young age, was staring up at the moon with her….

“What is that pale thing Aunt Bianca?” The young cub questioned with a twitch of his large nose.

“The moon… the sister of the sun and the mother of the stars…. Those stars are the spirits of your ancestors and those great kings of the old days. You can ask them for help and you can wish for the moon’s favour if you like, Prince Mufasa.” The old lioness growled gently as she continued to pray to it herself for help in fixing the Pride Lands from the darkness of Mjusi.