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The sun arced overhead and the hunting party returned. By the time they did, Sarabi and Sarafina had found semi-shaded rocks outside and watched their return from beneath lazy lids, chins on their forepaws.

Sarabi had been thinking about Albion's next lessons, and it seemed to her that efficient cooperation with the lionesses was the ideal next step. There were so many other lessons he had to learn, but they all seemed to be too many steps ahead of where Albion was at this time.

His relationships with the neighbouring lions needed work but had to wait until he felt more capable within himself and had lost his gaucheness. He needed to meet elephant matriarchs and lone bulls too, but Sarabi couldn't imagine that would end well with him as naïve as he currently was: those relationships were tense and relied on a bedrock of trust and honour. Lions could hunt young elephants, so the elephants distrusted lions. The royal lions in particular needed to overcome this to keep the elephants firmly on their side in any dispute.

The leopards and cheetahs offered other, particularly awkward challenges.

Before all of that he needed to develop his skills with territory maintenance, fighting, and hunting.

She offered a sedate smile as the white lion made eye contact with her as he trotted past. "You look clean again," she commented.

"We didn't catch anything," answered Kipepeo on Albion's behalf.

Sarabi straightened up a little. Albion himself looked bemused; Kipepeo and the others vaguely frustrated. Fruitless hunts were the norm and the lionesses knew this, but that didn't stop it from lowering morale. If Sarabi read the situation right, Albion was confused that they hadn't caught anything.

Leadership and guidance would help this situation. Sarabi stretched but remained laid down as the other lions settled. When everybody had found somewhere to lay down in their own particular spot of dappled shade, Sarabi spoke.

"This seems a good time to talk about hunting," she said, her tone making it clear that this discussion would be light, pleasant, and fun. The other lionesses looked at each other, their moods already visibly lifted. Sarabi had personally trained most of them and over the years she had learned much herself about how to make hunting as rewarding as possible, whether it ended in a meal or not. As far as she was concerned, making sure the lionesses enjoyed the experience was key to creating competent hunters.

"We have recently welcomed Albion into our pride, and I know he could benefit from training in how to hunt, and I'm sure everyone here can pitch in with something they've learned for themselves."

The smiles that greeted this last statement told her that she already had them firmly onside, and the lionesses squirmed or perked up with tangible excitement. Albion noticed this and watched her with obvious curiosity.

"Let's start with stalking techniques..."

~*~

The lesson continued for quite some time. Long enough, in fact, that the sun forced them to relocate as the shadows shifted. Lions stood and stretched or went in search of water on occasion, and the group broke up into pairs so that members of the pride could talk through new ideas with one another, before joining into a whole group again.

The ideas came thicker and faster than they had in a while, many of which Sarabi had heard before, but which were eagerly volunteered to help Albion.

"...learning to catch smaller prey helps you fine-tune your responses and become more agile..."

"...keep in mind the colour of the ground. A lion is easy to see against dark soil..."

"...birds can't smell very well, so you don't need to stay downwind..."

By the time the discussion was over the lionesses were so inspired that they agreed between themselves to go out on a hunt. Albion, once again, went with them, only this time, they agreed to give him a more active role.

Sarabi and Sarafina watched them run off in the direction of the watering hole.

"Are you ready to take him under your wing?" Sarabi asked, unable to keep the indulgent smile from her face. It brought her so much joy to see the lions around her flourishing!

"Ready!" Sarafina answered.

~*~

They returned under a sultry sky turning orange and with the stars just starting to twinkle on the horizon. The hunting party however, were as excited as Sarafina had ever seen them. Better yet, they came with flamingos in their jaws!

This was a tactic thought up by Wawindaji: After catching small prey (she had suggested), don't eat it out in the hunting grounds, like we lions usually do. Bring it home!

It had turned into something of a ritual of respect from the young lionesses to the older ones, and Sarafina understood that they were bringing her dinner.

Albion looked particularly satisfied with his pink, feathery mouthful and followed the lionesses to stash it away. Sarabi was ready for him when he returned.

His excitement turned to something approaching apprehension as he emerged from the food den and saw her making a beeline for him. He became still and waited for her to speak.

"It's a beautiful night," she said, her voice low and silken.

The lionesses were all too excited to notice the conversation.

Albion looked around at the scenery and sky. "Y-yes, it is."

"Will you walk with me?"

He laughed a little. A nervous laugh. "Do I need to do a royal walk again?"

She smiled at him. "Not so much. It's almost dark." And I plan on taking us somewhere we won't be seen."Come with me."

He looked over his shoulder at Sarabi, who nodded her approval, and then trotted after her.

Albion may not have adopted a full royal walk, but neither did he skitter like a cub. He'd found a middle ground at some point. Perhaps today, thought Sarafina as she turned her head to look at him. Hunting was serious business, and it had a way of maturing a lion.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

Sarafina took a moment to answer, thinking about how best to present the information. "The Mbali Fields. It's away from the pride, and the grass is thick and lush."

Now it was Albion's turn to pause. "Why are we going there?"

She tucked her chin under and gave him a coy look, but her answer was unthreatening enough. "I'd like to show it to you. It's a good place to go when you need time to think, or distance from the others. I sometimes go there. Since you're learning so much, it seems a good time to show you the way so you can go there yourself - should you ever need to."

Albion relaxed. "Oh." They walked in silence, but when he spoke again it became clear that his thoughts had been turning over. "I never had much space in the circus. I stayed in a cage."

"A cage?" asked Sarafina, genuinely curious about what a cage was but keen to give Albion the space to open up.

"It keeps you in one place. The humans can move it, but if you're inside a cage yourself, you can't."

Sarafina looked down the path as she processed this, reluctant to show him show horrified she was by this. She knew the word she wanted to put to it: barbaric. But Albion himself didn't seem to see it that way.

That made her feel more determined than ever to help him free himself.

"I can barely imagine what it must mean to be stuck in one place," she murmured.

He smiled at her.

They talked for a while longer. The Mbali Fields had no distinct boundary and the grass gradually got lusher and lusher as they progressed. At some point they found themselves within it.

Sarafina stopped walking to take in the view. The grass and leaves were a muted green under the starlight, their gloss reflecting a little of the silver of the moon. A low wind made the foliage wave but was not enough to be uncomfortable. All was peaceful.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she asked reverently, almost to herself.

"Yeah!" he answered, looking around. "No wonder you love it so much!"

She lay down, and he lay down next to her. They simply admired the view for a few moments, and then she turned to him.

"Where do the humans get lions from, for their circuses?"

"I'm not sure, but they brought one of the tigers - Gandhak - in when she was half-grown. She said she came from another circus. Shakti was older than me so I don't know about him. One day they took Gandhak and Shakti away from the area they kept the cages in and we could all hear them roaring all evening. I don't think they were fighting, though."

"'We'?" asked Sarafina.

"The elephants and zebra, the other two tigers, and me. When Gandhak and Shakti came back they seemed... happy, I think? They smelled of each other but they wouldn't say what had happened. After that, Gandhak's belly grew and she had cubs."

Sarafina looked at the scenery. "Hmm." They had made two tigers mate? "And you really don't know what they did?"

"I thought they'd been allowed to play," he answered, seemingly unaware of the proximity of the subject to that of mating. "Shakti and I wrestled once, during show practice, at least until the ringmaster saw us and whipped us apart. Wrestling was fun while it lasted. We didn't usually get to touch."

Despite herself, Sarafina was giving Albion a look. She couldn't really help it. "You... do understand that they mated, don't you?"

The subject of mating made Albion hold his breath. When he realised there was no way to dodge the subject he dropped his gaze. "Well- you can't be sure! I... I didn't." He paused again. "Do you think that's what's been happening? They make us... do that... to make more cubs?"

"That's how it seems," answered Sarafina, her attitude more sober than it had been earlier in the evening. She sighed and looked out ahead of them. Then she shook her head. "Imagine mating only for the function of making cubs."

"Well-I... well, that's what it's for," he offered awkwardly.

Sarafina looked sadly at him. "But it's such a beautiful act. Why confine it to that? I _love_mating."

That had a very obvious effect on the white lion. So far Albion had been trying to talk about mating as if it was a theoretical thing, much like the training Sarabi had led during the day. But now? Now that Sarafina spoke of the pleasure of it, and with such feeling in her voice, he couldn't avoid it. He hunkered down as if to hide from the subject.

The lioness lay down on her side on the grass, closed her eyes, and waited for him to speak.

"I was never taught. I don't know how to." He sounded forlorn, even sad.

Sarafina opened her eyes. "I'll show you."

Albion looked at her, shocked.

Before he could excuse himself she rolled onto her feet and then lowered into a sex crouch. "Come."

Hesitantly, the white lion stood up beside her. He smelled as if he was becoming aroused but that didn't make him confident. Quite the opposite, in fact. "What do I do?"

"Stand over me," she told him, her voice low but keeping the eroticism in her tone as reserved as possible.

He did so - sideways.

Sarafina restrained herself from laughing. "The other way, so that your head is above mine and your hind feet beside my own."

He moved. "Like this?"

"That's right. Can you feel your penis swelling?"

He hesitated to answer and when he did, spoke in an almost-whisper. "It's starting to."

Sarafina exhaled. "You are almost ready. Lower your hips to mine."

"Okay," he whispered, although it was still the whisper of one who felt the need to be led through the experience.

"Touch the end of your sheath beneath my tail." He was so close!

Albion chose that moment to break the spell, and he straightened up and leaped away as if stung by a tsetse fly. "I- huh- I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" he panted, trembling, his penis half-exposed but turning his body away so that she couldn't see it.

"What's wrong?" she asked, frustrated but concerned. Something had definitely spooked him.

Eager for a distraction Albion answered her instantly. "I heard a noise. I think it was another lion!"

Another lion? Sarafina hadn't heard anything. She listened. For a moment there was nothing, but then...

A low, rumbling roar some way distant. No: two low, rumbling roars.

She knew what that was: two lions were already here, mating! She had brought Albion to the Mbali Fields to mate, that was for sure, and she had done so because the Fields were quiet and anonymous - perfect for the extra-polite and formal Albion. There were other lions here on this night? That completely ruined her plans.

Or then again, maybe it didn't. She stood up straight too. "Albion, will you come with me?" And before he could answer, she trotted in the direction of the roaring, her ears tuned in to it and seeking out its source.

It didn't take long to locate the other couple, and Sarafina hid in the grass long before she could see them. She approached carefully and quietly, so as not to disturb her quarry, and Albion followed her lead, confused though he clearly was.

Finally she spotted them. She recognised them instantly.

She looked over at Albion who crouched in the grass beside her. "There!" she said, indicating the couple by turning her head to nod towards the two lions. "They've come a long way to get here. We very rarely see them," she commented. "The male's Marumaru and the female's Jiwe, both from the caldera pride."

"Oh," answered Albion, but he was more interested in looking at the two, unaware lions. "I didn't know lions were supposed to have dark manes."

"They do. His is browner than most," she added.

Marumaru and Jiwe lay slightly apart on the grass, he licking his penis clean and she rolling brazenly on her back and watching him provocatively. They made eye contact and she rolled over into a sex crouch, lashing her tail. He grinned devilishly and approached her.

"Now," she whispered to Albion, "Watch what they do."

Marumaru lowered his hips down to Jiwa's rump and even from this distance they saw how he extended his penis out of its sheath and penetrated her with it.

Sarafina heard the smallest and most subtle of gasps from Albion and glanced at him to see his reaction. As Marumaru thrusted and Jiwa looked contentedly, smoulderingly even, over her shoulder at him, Albion's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

The caldera lion murmured something into Jiwa's ear and she gave him an indulgent look before closing her eyes and affecting a look of such pleasure that Sarafina herself wanted to have her. Marumaru himself seemed to appreciate the look and watched her hungrily, his hips bucking. Jiwa's brow creased and she arched her back inwards to push her vulva up towards him. Her eyelashes fluttered as if her eyes were rolling up with the pleasure and she sighed and murmured, open-mouthed, something that only Marumaru could hear.

Albion's eyelids lowered and he swallowed as if to salve a dry throat. He didn't notice Sarafina looking at him as instead he was transfixed on the sight of the mating.

Marumaru spoke to Jiwa more but he looked close to his climax. He bared his teeth, closed his eyes tight, and then let out a roar. Jiwa did the same and they unceremoniously parted.

Jiwa rolled flirtatiously over and Marumaru gave her a proud look over his shoulder before laying down, at least for a short moment.

The tension released for the moment, all was quiet.

Sarafina looked at Albion again. This time he looked at her in turn.

"Now do you see how it works?" she asked.

He nodded his head, apparently too taken aback to speak.

She carefully manoeuvred herself around to become available to him again, but then they both noticed the two distant lions come together again.

Jiwa walked a few steps, leading Marumaru on with smouldering glances over her shoulder and whips of her tail, which allowed him to see and smell her vagina. He couldn't have been any closer behind, walking to keep pace, with his chin resting on her rump. In a moment she crouched down to give him access and he instantly met her.

They were already thoroughly warmed up and took to it with enough enthusiasm to make Sarafina sigh with desire just by watching them. She looked over her shoulder to encourage Albion closer and saw that he was already looking at her, wordlessly seeking her permission with fraught blue eyes.

She nodded slightly and he came forward. Except this time he wasn't hesitant. Rushing forward, he straddled her and grabbed the back of her neck in his mouth, lowering his hips to her with none of his previous trepidation.

He may have been eager but he was clumsy, mashing his penis against the entrance to her vagina in his desperation to have her. He huffed and moaned against the back of her neck before he finally found the right spot and slid deep inside her.

He grunted so loudly she half-expected the caldera lions to hear. Having the scruff of her neck stuffed in his mouth probably muffled the noise, but for now Sarafina didn't want to care. All shewanted to do was allow him to have his way with her.

He filled her. She felt his testicles bouncing against her, tapping the area beneath her vagina over and over. His hot breath burst forth from his mouth and nostrils and he groaned, clenching his jaw with tension and intense pleasure.

He grunted, clamping his jaw shut to keep quiet, and stumbled back from her, panting.

Sarafina's body felt warm and sensuous to her, rich with sex and ready for more. She rolled over, spreading her hind legs as she languidly flipped over and fixed Albion with a smouldering stare.

Albion, for his part, seemed to have no words to say. He looked shocked and amazed, and then self-conscious.

She gathered her legs under her and walked over to him, nuzzling him lightly.

He seemed unsure how to react at first but then accepted her affection and nuzzled back with his usual style of earnestness and reticence. Over the course of many breaths those nuzzles became more intense, and Sarafina turned her body to allow him to respond in kind as soon as he was ready. In time he rested his chin on her rump. She crouched, he mounted her, and so began the second of many matings that night.