The lion and his bull friend raced across the golden savanna. Hooves and paws kicked up dust under the wide sky.
The bull gave Kito a playful nudge. They chased each other round a termite mound and collapsed together in the cool shade of an acacia tree.
Behind a dry bush, a jackal watched them. Its tail twitched. It did not like how happy they looked.
When the bull fell asleep, the jackal crept close. 'Your friend said you're too slow to ever be king,' it whispered.
Kito stared at his sleeping friend. He could not tell if the words were true or just tricks. He sat very still.
The next day, the jackal appeared again. 'The bull called you weak,' it said. 'You will never protect anyone.'
Kito charged over and roared. But the bull only blinked and licked its nose. It had not said any of that.
The jackal watched from behind a rock and smiled. The lion and the bull were no longer playing together.
Kito stood alone by the watering hole. The jackal called from a termite mound, 'Why do you bother with a slow bull?'
Kito remembered. Yesterday the jackal had said the same words — only swapped. He stomped forward. 'You keep lying!'
The jackal ran. Kito turned and trotted back to the acacia tree. The bull was already awake, waiting.
Kito nudged the bull's shoulder. They lay down together in the shade. No jackal could come between them.