Chapter 12 - Hunger
The night grew darker.
In the distant horizon, the figures of the four female lions finally appeared!
Chu Xiaoye stood at the top of the tree and could not help but let out a childish roar. He finally heaved a sigh of relief.
Although the four female lions did not seem to have brought back any prey.
The lion stood up from the gra.s.s and raised its head, looking into the distance with a dignified gaze.
His tail that was shaking anxiously suddenly stopped.
He saw it.
The lionesses returned empty-handed.
This meant that he still had nothing to eat tonight.
The lion let out a hoa.r.s.e growl and bared its teeth, looking very angry.
Not long after.
The four female lions returned dejectedly.
Every female lion had scratch marks and bloodstains on her body.
There was a lioness whose tail had been cut off. She hung her head and looked extremely miserable.
They searched for a long time and finally found prey at the edge of the territory.
However, while hunting, they accidentally crossed the border and entered the territory of another pride.
The prey that they had painstakingly caught was s.n.a.t.c.hed away. Under the leadership of the male lion, the opposing pride angrily attacked and bit them.
They did not want to give up their prey, but they could only flee.
Otherwise, they would lose their lives.
If their lion was here, perhaps that prey could be brought back.
Looking at the hungry children, and the lion roaring angrily, the four female lions, lowered their heads, feeling guilty and sad.
The lioness, whose tail had been bitten off, lowered her head and wanted to rub against the lion"s body as an apology.
However, she was slapped in the face by the lion, coldly and heartlessly.
The four female lions were riddled with scars, tired and hungry, but they had no choice but to lie down beside their cubs and feed them.
The lion looked at them coldly before turning to leave. Soon, he disappeared into the night.
Since the female lions were useless, he could only take advantage of the night to find something to eat.
Chu Xiaoye stood on the tree and watched his cold figure leave coldly.
Due to the lush mane of male lions, it was extremely easy for their prey to discover them when they hunted during the day. Before they could approach, the prey might have already sensed them and fled.
Therefore, in a pride, the lionesses were usually in charge of hunting.
When there was a lack of food, prides would take the risk to hunt large and dangerous animals like giraffes and water buffaloes.
At this time, the lion would help.
When the prey was surrounded by the lionesses, the lion would suddenly pounce on them and bite their necks, using their heavy bodies to drag the prey to the ground. Then, the lionesses could pounce on them together to kill them.
As for Chu Xiaoye"s pride, he had never seen the lion hunting with the female lions ever since he could remember.
Even if he had not eaten for a few days.
Although he had just become a cub, the past was still imprinted in his body"s memory.
In his memory, this majestic father was more cold and selfish than any other father.
Of course, he was also lazy.
"Roar!"
Aisha called out to him from under the tree.
Chu Xiaoye looked down and saw that Little Curly Tail was already lying beside his mother and drinking milk.
This kid had just eaten at Xi"er"s place, and now he was eating again. It seemed like the afternoon training had really tired him out.
Although he sympathized with his mother"s hunger and fatigue, Chu Xiaoye still climbed down from the tree and went to eat.
Only when he was full could he grow up and become stronger!
Only by being strong could he protect his mother and help her share her burdens and responsibilities.
As for that cold father, he could not be counted on.
He only hoped that he could guard his territory well, defeat those invaders, and fulfill his duties as a father and husband slightly.
The night was hazy.
After eating their fill, the cubs all leaned against their mothers and fell asleep.
As for the five female lions, they were frowning and did not feel sleepy at all.
The water sources nearby started to dry up. The herbivores were already migrating.
The prey on this gra.s.sland seemed to have disappeared overnight and it was difficult to find them again.
If they wanted to continue hunting and nurturing their children, they could only follow their prey and migrate to the edge of the territory to settle down.
But.
It was very dangerous there.
Not only were there other prides, there were also many other carnivores. If the cubs lived there, they would be threatened every day.
However, if they did not move, they could only starve every day.
Even if they could occasionally catch prey, they, who needed to feed their children, and the strong male lion, could not eat their fill.
If they could not fill their stomachs, they would not have the strength to hunt or nurture their children.
If the lion could not eat its fill, if a wandering lion invaded or they encountered a sneak attack by those vile hyenas, he would probably be defeated and flee, or die in defeat.
By then, none of their children would survive.
So…
At this moment, the five female lions looked at each other in the dark. They were silent, but they were thinking about the migration of the herbivores.
But they were also worried about the children.
The complex thoughts of the five mothers were revealed in their eyes even though they did not express them.
The night was silent.
Chu Xiaoye was still sleeping on the tree.
The python from last night had indeed frightened him quite a bit.
However, he might be able to survive against a python. However, if he were to face a lion or some other carnivore, the current him would definitely not be able to resist.
He had angered the lion during the day.
Although that lion was his father, he was not sure if he would take advantage of him sleeping to suddenly rush over and bite him to death.
A lion was violent and heartless.
Whether it was on television or in his past memories, he remembered them deeply.
Furthermore, his father was currently hungry.
Hence, he only dared to sleep on the tree.
The female lions could not sleep, and neither could he.
Although there was a strange and powerful bead in his body emitting a strange heat that made him completely reborn and gradually become stronger.
However, he was still a cub and was not really strong.
If he encountered danger, he would still be unable to protect himself.
The situation of the pride was already very dangerous.
Without food, they had to move.
Whether it was on the road or in the new residence, it was full of unknown dangers for cubs like them.
If they were not careful, they would become food for other carnivores.
He was lucky that he did not die and turned into a lion. He wanted to grow into a majestic lion and flaunt his might on the gra.s.sland. He wanted to dominate the world!
His dream had yet to be realized. How could he die so quickly?
"Roar!"
While he was lost in his thoughts, he heard a childish roar.
Mei Mei climbed up the tree and lay beside him.
The scent of milk on the lioness cub and her gentle and obedient appearance instantly made him feel much less depressed.
Who cares.
No matter how difficult tomorrow was, he would try his best to live every day well.
Chu Xiaoye rubbed her head with his claws and a human-like smile appeared on his face.
The night was quiet and the moonlight was gentle.
The siblings lay quietly on the tree and fell asleep.