Chapter 17 - Hunting
The sun was setting in the west.
Until evening, the female lions returned.
Their fur was messy and their bodies were full of wounds. Their bodies were covered in gra.s.s and mud, and they looked haggard.
Out of the five cubs, only two were left.
Lars and a small female cub named Gigi were lucky to survive.
The other three cubs were nowhere to be seen.
Clearly, they had been eaten by the baboons.
The two female lions who had lost their children walked in the gra.s.s with sad eyes, smelling the lingering scent of their children.
Aisha and Xi"er ran under the tree and were frightened by the dead old baboon. They looked up and saw that the three young cubs were standing on the tree safe and sound, looking at them.
"Roar!"
The two female lions called out from under the tree, their eyes filled with love and relief. They called for the three of them to come down, as if they wanted to personally check if they were really okay.
Chu Xiaoye brought Little Curly Tail and Mei Mei down the tree.
Aisha and Xi"er immediately came up to them and licked their fur gently, rubbing their heads affectionately.
When Chu Xiaoye was rubbing his head affectionately with his mother, Xi"er came over and licked his fur to show her affection and grat.i.tude.
If he had not insisted on hiding on the tree and did not go down to escape, her daughter would have lost her life like the three poor cubs.
Chu Xiaoye had saved her and her daughter. She already treated Chu Xiaoye as her child in her heart.
Lars lay in the gra.s.s with his head hanging, like a child who had done something wrong, dejected and guilty.
However, he felt more fear.
If not for his mother and the other lionesses protecting him and his father rushing over, he would have already died under the claws of those baboons.
Now he understood.
It was true that he was a male lion, but he was still very much inferior to his majestic father.
He still needed to grow.
Only in a few years would he be able to grow into a strong and powerful lion like his father!
At that time, he would definitely take revenge for his three dead brothers and sisters!
Lars looked up at the three little fellows who had just been hiding in the tree, his heart full of frustration.
As the eldest brother, he was not even as good as his youngest brothers and sisters.
The female lions had been chased all the way and had not eaten for the past two days, so their stomachs were already rumbling with hunger.
Aisha walked in front of the old baboon and smelled the scent on it. She raised her head and looked at Chu Xiaoye strangely. Then, she turned around and called for her other sisters to come and enjoy the food.
Chu Xiaoye"s scent lingered on this prey.
Although she did not know how her child killed this large baboon, she should handle the spoils of war.
The other lionesses surrounded the baboon and started to enjoy the food.
Aisha called out to Lars in the gra.s.s and made way.
Although Lars was ashamed and regretful, he could not resist the hunger in his stomach. He quickly got up and ran over to eat.
Among the cubs, he was the oldest and was the one who needed to eat fresh meat the most.
Otherwise, it would affect his body"s growth.
The other cubs could still drink milk to fill their stomachs for the time being.
Although this baboon was larger, it was not enough for five female lions and a young male cub to enjoy.
They would rest for a while, and after breastfeeding, they would go out to hunt again.
Although the two female lions were sad to have lost their children, they still had to stay strong and be responsible for the pride.
The lion had just bitten a mature baboon to death in the battle with the baboon army.
After the baboons left, the lion was already eating while the female lions searched for their children.
At this moment, the adult baboon that had been bitten to death had probably already entered the lion"s stomach completely.
Presumably, he would return soon to take care of the cubs.
After Chu Xiaoye finished his milk, he returned to the tree, thinking that he had to think of a way to eat more tonight.
He had been exercising too much these few days. It was obviously not enough to drink milk alone.
However, the tragedy that Lars created today made him hesitate again.
However, he would not be stupid enough to provoke those powerful figures.
Little things like rabbits, squirrels, and mice were the most suitable prey for cubs.
Even if they ate its entire family, it would not dare to resist, right?
Chu Xiaoye secretly decided to go and try out his skills tonight.
After Little Curly Tail and Mei Mei drank their milk, they climbed up too and lay down beside him, rubbing against his body affectionately.
The two little fellows now liked to move around and sleep on the tree.
After all, they had avoided the last two dangers by being on the tree. Their lives were saved by the tree.
Lars ate a few bites of meat and went to the lioness who had lost her child to drink milk for a while. Then, he lay down beside his mother and slept.
What happened today left a deep impression on him.
He no longer dared to run out alone.
In the future, he had to be obedient and go nowhere. Other than eating, he would just sleep and play. He had to stay obediently by his mother"s side and wait to grow up.
After he grew up, he would be free and strong!
At that time, as long as he bared his fangs,spread his lush mane, and roared a few times, his enemies would definitely be terrified by his name and p.i.s.s their pants!
The sun soon set.
The vast gra.s.sland turned dark.
The strong male lion finished eating and paced back slowly. He did not bring back any flesh for the children.
Xi"er stayed.
The other lionesses bid farewell to the children, rubbed their heads against the lion"s, and set off.
A silver moon hung on the branches.
From the bushes, the heavy snores of the lion could be heard.
Xi"er also lay on the gra.s.s and closed her eyes.
They slept very lightly.
On the tree, Chu Xiaoye quietly climbed down after seeing that Little Curly Tail and Mei Mei were asleep.
After landing.
He stepped on the soft gra.s.s and walked towards the bushes at the back.
Finally, before he woke Xi"er up, he crawled into the dense bushes.
He advanced stealthily through the bushes.
After walking for a while, he suddenly heard a series of cracking sounds.
The sounds were very soft, but in the quiet night, they could be heard clearly.
Through the gaps in the vegetation, he saw a grayish-yellow rabbit under a big tree, chewing on nuts with relish. Its two ears were standing up vigilantly.
Chu Xiaoye was secretly happy. He slowed down and approached it step by step, preparing to sprint!
"Whoosh!"
Right at this moment, a figure suddenly jumped out from the gra.s.s beside him and bit the wild rabbit"s head!
Its movements were as fast as lightning, and it pounced so lightly that it seemed like it was flying!
Chu Xiaoye looked over and saw that it was a leopard!
The leopard bit the rabbit and turned around to leave. It quickly crawled into the lush gra.s.s and disappeared.
Just as Chu Xiaoye was cursing his bad luck, he suddenly heard a childish roar.
Then, the gra.s.s swayed. A cat-like young leopard ran out after a limping rabbit.
The leopard that had just disappeared reappeared and followed behind the little leopard. Its dark eyes looked around vigilantly.
Chu Xiaoye"s heart tightened. He lay on the ground and did not dare to move again. He secretly prayed that the limping rabbit would not run towards him.
A female leopard that protected its cubs was not to be trifled with!
If it misunderstood that he was here to hurt her child, he would be doomed.
The leopard"s speed was not just for show.
It was even more ferocious than a turbine"s pressure!
Normally, leopards rarely appeared near where lion prides stayed, let alone raised their children here.
After all, leopards were extremely afraid of lions.
For some reason, this leopard chose this place to take care of its children.
Just like humans, they thought that the most dangerous place was the safest place.
Or was she using the deterrence of the pride to avoid the threat of hyenas and other carnivores?
It seemed that this leopard was not only bold but also smart.
However, it was also very dangerous to do so.
If the lions discovered them, both mother and daughter would die.
As for why he knew that this little leopard was a female, he did not know. Anyway, he knew with just a glance at her.
Perhaps this was a natural skill of animals.
"Roar! Roar!"
A terrifying scene still happened!
The little leopard chased after the limping rabbit and ran towards the bushes he was hiding in!
The beautiful but fierce female leopard also followed!
Chu Xiaoye"s heart immediately rose to his throat and almost jumped out!