Chapter 7 - Revival
The weather was a little hot.
After eating their fill, the lionesses and cubs hid in the shade to rest.
After Chu Xiaoye disinfected Xi"er, he continued to practice climbing trees.
He did not know which month it was now.
But from the looks of it, it was almost the dry season.
There were only two seasons here: the rainy season and the dry season.
During the rainy season, the rain was abundant and the vegetation was lush. It could attract many herbivores.
This was the happiest season for carnivores.
Even at their doorstep, they would be able to catch delicious prey.
There would be fresh meat every day.
Once the dry season arrived, food would be scarce.
The herbivores would start to migrate to places with water and gra.s.s.
At this time, there would no longer be any prey in the territories of many lions.
To survive, the lions would also migrate with the herbivores.
The journey was extremely arduous. One would have a filling meal one day then have to starve for the next meal, they might even have to go hungry for many days. Sometimes, one would not even be able to drink a drop of water.
At this time, the death rate of cubs would be extremely high.
Therefore, some powerful prides would claim their territory near rivers.
Even during the dry season, there would be food to fill one"s hunger.
Unless the dry season was prolonged and the river dried up.
The pride Chu Xiaoye was in did not have any rivers near their territory. There were only a few small water sources.
Once the dry season arrived, it would be extremely dangerous.
It did not rain for the past few days.
The air was also a little hot.
The herbivores of all sizes around their territory had disappeared.
During the hunt this morning, the female lions had also run far away.
From all the signs, the rainy season might end soon.
At that time, an even greater danger would descend upon this small pride of lions that had eight young cubs to feed.
If there was a migration, the cubs that could not keep up with the team might be abandoned.
There would be many dangers along the way.
Hence, Chu Xiaoye decided to take the time to train his physique.
Apart from practising climbing trees, he also had to practice endurance and train the muscles of his four limbs.
In a lion"s battle, other than their sharp teeth, they also needed a strong physique and front limbs.
Ordinary lions only needed to grow slowly and use their strength in their prime to win in battle.
Therefore, they were all very lazy. They only ate, slept, and ate. They were very pa.s.sive as they waited for the peak state of their bodies to arrive.
Then, they would fight for territory, become a lion king, have many wives and concubines as they formed a pride then wait for death slowly.
However, Chu Xiaoye could not wait.
He wanted to take the initiative to practice and become stronger!
If he trained his muscles to be strong enough, he could slap the other party when fighting and the other party would fall to the ground. Then, things would be much simpler.
Even when escaping, he would be faster than a normal lion and be able to run further.
Although the lion was powerful, it did not have any stamina when running. It could only run a short distance before panting. It was far worse than hyenas.
A lion like this might look impressive, but it was easy to be played with.
The hyenas and leopards that were afraid of lions, or even the smaller wild dogs, could play with the lions as they pleased if they were smarter.
Chu Xiaoye could not let that happen!
"Whoosh!"
With a sprint, he climbed onto a branch of the big tree and walked to the thinner branch next to it, practising his balance on the tree.
After practising for a while on the branch, he climbed down the tree and trained his forelimbs in the gra.s.s.
Then, he straightened his body and placed his two front limbs on the tree trunk. He bent his two back limbs and practised the horse stance.
Soon, his small body started to tremble and ache.
However, he still persisted.
Mei Mei lay beside her mother and looked at him quietly and strangely, not knowing what he was doing.
The little lioness seemed to know that her mother was seriously injured and knew that she was about to die. Her mood was terrible.
Xi "er crawled on the ground, closed her eyes, and breathed evenly, seemingly asleep.
Ever since she was licked by Chu Xiaoye, she felt the pain all over her body gradually lessen. Her wounds were numb and itchy, but she felt very comfortable.
At the same time, a strong sense of sleepiness swept over her.
Unknowingly, she fell asleep.
The other lionesses were resting.
Little Curly Tail slept soundly beside his mother.
Chu Xiaoye was the only one who was tirelessly doing all sorts of strange actions in the bushes and trees.
The sun gradually set in the west and fell on the horizon of the gra.s.sland.
A breeze blew, bringing with it a dry heat.
In the evening.
The female lions woke up one after another.
Their breakfast did not fill their stomachs.
They still had to feed the cubs, so they had to replenish their food. Otherwise, the cubs would not be able to have milk to drink.
No one knew where the lion went.
The four female lions looked at Xi"er, who was sleeping soundly on the ground.
If the lionesses wanted to go out to hunt, they had to leave a healthy lion behind to protect the young cubs.
However, their companion, Xi"er, was seriously injured and on the verge of death. She was about to die.
Perhaps, she would not even be able to make it through tonight.
She could not be relied on to protect the cubs.
"Roar!"
Aisha was a little anxious.
If they did not go hunting before the sky turned dark, the cubs would be in even more danger at night.
Those annoying hyenas loved to move around at night.
The other three female lions were also a bit impatient. They all raised their heads and looked into the distance, hoping that the male lion would quickly return.
However, there was no sign of the lion in the distance.
At this moment, Xi"er seemed to hear their anxious calls and opened her eyes.
She stood up.
Although she looked a little tired and haggard and her fur was messy and full of blood,
her eyes were still bright and determined.
She stood steadily.
She did not look like a pitiful mother who was seriously injured and about to die!
The gazes of the four female lions stopped on her body as if they were a bit surprised. They all came over and rubbed their bodies and heads with her.
They found it unbelievable.
However, now was not the time to dawdle.
The sun was setting.
Night was approaching!
The lionesses did not dare to delay and immediately set off.
Xi "er looked at their backs, then lowered her head to look at her daughter, and then at the wounds on her body. Her gaze was blank, as if she was dreaming.
Wasn"t she going to die?
However, she only slept for a short while and now, she did not feel any pain.
Moreover, the wounds on her body actually started to heal!
Those annoying flies had also disappeared!
She walked with ease as if she was not seriously injured at all!
Her spirit, which had been dispirited and absent-minded in the morning, was now abnormally full and healthy!
What was going on?
She was stunned for a moment before she suddenly turned around and looked at the big tree.
On the big tree, Chu Xiaoye was using his two forelimbs to grab tightly onto the branches. His body was hanging down, and his tongue was stuck out. He was panting as he tried to pull himself up.
She stared at him blankly for a long time.