Kiboko's Mixed Blessing
#2 of Kiboko
Kiboko's Mixed Blessing
By : Panthera
This story is not to be reproduced, copied, or otherwise published anywhere, in any way shape or form, without the express permission of the author.
Young Kiboko starteched out his weary muscles and opened up his soft blue eyes as the warm Africa sunrise washed over him. He yawned and stood up, stretching out still, only to find that the rest of the young lion's pride was all asleep. He frowned a little bit, but only for a moment, as he knew this might be his best chance to get away from the watchful eyes of parents and of his pride.
Walking as silently as he knew how to, he slipped away from everyone else and off into the tall savannah grasses. He was almost all the way to the river Kube, where he loved to play when he found himself nose-to-nose with a much larger lioness in the grasses. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked into the face of Inaji.
She had dark green eyes that always put Kiboko on edge because of how much they always seemed to stare into him when she looked at him. Her fur was a light tan in color, and she was very strong, agile, and muscular, even for a lioness. Kiboko spoke first, more to break the silence that had formed suddenly than anything else.
"Uhm ... hi Inaji."
She frowned deeply at him, a look that came close to giving the cub the shivers. "What are you doing out here Kiboko? You know you're never to come this far all alone, especially this early in the morning, when the night predators are still around. You'd make a fine snack for a hyena you know Kiboko."
He frowned and gulped, having never liked the thought of that. "But everyone's asleep Inaji! There's nothin' to do back there when everyone's sleeping. Why are you out here anyway?"
Her growl made him take a few steps backwards, both because of how loud and angry it was, and because of how sudden it was. "I'm on guard duty right now cub. I don't like being out here where anything can come at me. But yet you choose to be out here when you know you're not supposed to be. You're lucky I'm not your mother."
He tilted his head to one side in confusion. "I am?"
"Oh yes Kiboko. If I were your mother and found you out here, I'd cuff your rear so hard, you'd never even think about sitting down again."
Kiboko sighed "Whatever. If you were my mom you'd probably have killed me anyway by now."
Inaji sighed and then growled again. "I'll make sure you learn some decent manners yet cub!"
Before Kiboko could even turn to run, Inaji was on top of him, using one paw to hold him down tightly to the ground. He squirmed and tried his best to kick his paws so he could scramble free, but she held him steady, using her size and weight to her advantage.
Kiboko tried to scream for help, but before he could, a very large and firm paw smacked down right on his rear, just below the base of his tail. This time Kiboko did scream and he cried too, but for a different reason now.
Inaji swung her paw again, and then again, and then again some more. Each time she did, she landed a powerful burst of flame onto Kiboko's backside. She never even touched his tail or the lower parts of his legs. All her swings landed right on his rear, each one making Kiboko jump against the paw holding him down and scream out once more.
When she was finished, Inaji let go of him, but he only lay there, crying and mewling in pain and shame. "Kiboko?"
The cub washed some tears off his cheek with a paw and then looked up at the lioness, half expecting the ordeal to start all over again. "Wh .. at?"
"That's barely a sample of what you would have gotten if you were really my cub. But since your mother won't raise you properly, maybe your father will."
Kiboko sniffled and began to get the impression something was about to go very wrong for him. "My dad? But ... he's the king."
"Yes, I know Kiboko. I think he'l need to hear of where you were this morning, and of how you behaved to me. I'm sure he'll have something to say about this."
Kiboko frowned and bagan to back away slowly. "You ... you can't ... he'll be mad at me." He sniffled again.
"That's the idea cub. I'm sure he'll find you when he wants you. Now go off and play ... somewhere safe."
Kiboko sighed and turned and walked back towards everyone else, keeping his tail between his hind legs. When he got there, he laid down in the shade of some reeds, curled up there, and managed to fall into a restless slumber.
A while later, with the sun high overhead and bright, Kiboko was wakened by someone shaking him gently. As he tried to wake up and focus his eyes on the thing waking him, he heard a very familiar, and very deep voice speaking to him. "Kiboko. Wake up."
He knew instantly that it wasn't a request, and who the voice belonged to. He frowned, but stood up. "Uhh ... yeah dad?"
King Chuba was a big lion, and he looked all that much larger with his dark brown mane on top of his golden-brown fur. He looked down at Kiboko, a deep frown on his muzzle. "Follow me."
Kiboko gulped and followed as the king began to walk. He noticed they were walking a good distance away from where the pride normally stayed at, and this was beginning to seriouslly worry the cub. They walked for what seemed to Kiboko like quite a long while, in silence all the way. After the sun had noticably lowered a little ways in the sky, Chuba stopped. "Kiboko?" he said, his deep voice booming into the young cub's ears.
Kiboko padded around in front of the king and stood there. He was too afraid to look up at him, but he spoke to the lion. "Yeah dad?" he said with a whimper in his voice.
Chuba waited a long second before speaking. "Where were you this morning when I woke up?"
Kiboko knew better than to outright lie to the king. He thought for a moment before answering. "I was with Inaji."
"I know. But why were you out so far away from everyone else and alone?"
Kiboko sighed. "No one else was awake an' I got bored."
"You know you're not supposed to wander off alone don't you son?"
All the cub could do was to nod his head.
"And can you answer me why you were so rude to a fellow pridemember? Not to mention a guard at that?"
He shook his head, trying in vain not to wimper or whine in front of the king.
"Kiboko ... Inaji told me everything. She did what I would have done if I were her .. and what I should do now as well."
Kiboko felt his stomach sink down into his paws. He'd never been cuffed twice in one day before, and he wasn't sure if he could take it or not. He tried to think of something to say in his own defense, but Chuba's voice spoke before he could think of anything.
"You know how you're supposed to be for this. Get like I told you, or I'll let everyone in the pride get a turn to cuff you. You do deserve that you know."
Kiboko whined again and could only nod to the king's words and to his deep voice. Kiboko had come to know this position very weel since he became old enough to get cuffed, even though his father was the only one who made him get like that. He stretched his body out a little, and put his chest and his chin down on the ground. His hind quarters he lifted up a bit, and then he moved his tail straight up above him.
Chuba nodded. "Good to see you can remember something son. I certainly hope you can remember this as well."
Kiboko was already bracing himself for the blow when it came. The force of it alone almost sent him sprawling, but after having done that once, he knew he would be best off if he stayed like he was told to, no matter what. He instantly began to wimper and to cry, hot, wet tears rolling down his furred cheeks and muzzle.
The paw landed once more, and once more Kiboko yelped and whined and wimpered and cried. He though he had never known such pain before in his whole life, but still the paw kept coming.
Another blow made Kiboko bellow out a scream that sounded something like a very young and immature roar. The one after that made him start to shake all over and to hyperventilate as he remained there in position for his punishment.
Only one more blow came after that, but it was enough of one to make the cub do nothing but whine and sob out loud. The king stopped then and laid down next to the sniffeling and crying cub.
Kiboko kept as he was, but did look to his father through hot, tear-stained eyes. The king didn't look happy or like he had enjoyed this nearly as much as Inaji had. His tears began to fade slowly as he felt the warm muzzle of Chuba nuzzling his side and neck. Kiboko calmed some, but still sniffled some.
The king spoke. "Kiboko ... I hope you've learned a lesson now?"
Kiboko nodded his head very fast, making sure to do it so Chuba could see him nod.
"Good. I think we both hope we never have to do this again, but your punishment isn't quite over yet son."
Kiboko frowned more than he already was and braced himself again.
"No. No more cuffing for now. But I want you to stay like that. I'll stay here with you, but keep your rear up like that and think about things. I doubt anyone else will see you like this."
Kiboko felt relieved and ashamed even more at the same time. He nodded quietly.
"Your motherwill be told of this, but I won't have her punish you .. unless you think she should?"
Kiboko shook his head very quickly.
"I didn't think so. This probably will hurt you some more before its finished though."
The cub frowned, but Chuba continued to speak.
"Your backside isn't facing the sun ... I'm not that mean ... but the bugs and mosquitoes will have a feast back there I'm afraid. All the more to make sure this sticks to you son. Am I understood?"
Kiboko nodded. "Yeah dad."
"Good." King Chuba laid his head down on his paws and watched his son. No matter how much it might have started to itch back there, Chuba was impressed at how still his son remained. He stayed quiet and let his son think.
Kiboko did indeed think about a lot of things, though the itching and the pain in his rear kept coming to mind the most. He was afraid to think of what would happen if he moved, so he kept still, hind end in the air, chest and chin on the ground, tail held up high.
After what seemed like an eternity to the cub, Chuba finally spoke up. He had honestly thought his dad was asleep, but it seemed that wasn't so. "Get up son. We can go home now, and no one else besides you mother and ourselves will know of this unless you choose to tell them."
Kiboko nodded and began to follow his dad home. When they were almost there, he spoke up softly "Dad?"
Chuba stopped and looked to him, a small smile on his muzzle. "Yes?"
"Sorry dad."
He nodded and began to smile more. "I know son. You are a good cub, no matter what you do or what anyone else says. Inside, I know you're good."
Kiboko even smiled at that, and not a word was said to him or from him about what had happened out in the grasses that day.
THE END