Chapter 98 - Food
After dawn.
Chu Xiaoye got up from the hill and left quietly.
At this time, Maya needed to breastfeed and would not go out to hunt. The cubs were safe for the time being.
However, she had not eaten for a few days.
If she could not eat her fill, her milk would slowly decrease. At that time, it would definitely affect the newly born cubs.
Hence, Chu Xiaoye decided to take a walk in the bushes.
Perhaps he could encounter a few unlucky wild rabbits or warthogs.
The python from last night was too abnormal.
Even if he had the chance to take away the flesh then, he did not dare to let Maya eat it after giving birth.
Some lions might resist and be immune to certain poisons and diseases when they were healthy, but they could be fatal for a weak mother and young cubs that needed to drink their mother"s milk.
The morning sun baked the ground like a flame.
Even the forest with the shade of the trees was still hot and uncomfortable. Even the air seemed to be burning.
Chu Xiaoye opened his mouth to cool down. He originally wanted to stick out his tongue too, but at the thought that he was a lion and not a dog, he could only forget it.
The entire forest was silent and empty.
He could only walk in the direction of the Seno brothers" pride"s territory.
Perhaps they could encounter one or two prey there.
However, he encountered a lion.
In a patch of bushes at the border of the Seno brothers" pride, a thin and weak female lion with messy fur was lowering her head to eat.
She was a lioness of the Seno brothers" pride.
She seemed to be in a daze. Only when Chu Xiaoye walked close did she look up and look at him with her mouth full of blood.
She did not bare her fangs, nor was she nervous or angry. She only stood there quietly and looked at him in a daze, her gaze blank.
Chu Xiaoye stopped at the border and looked at the food at her feet.
They were two furry cubs.
It seemed that they were just born. There was only a b.l.o.o.d.y half of a cub"s body left.
They all turned into corpses.
Chu Xiaoye looked up at the lioness again.
Her originally bulging stomach had already shriveled up. Clearly, she had already given birth.
Chu Xiaoye was stunned for a moment before looking at the cub"s corpse on the ground.
The air was hot and quiet.
He suddenly felt a little uncomfortable breathing. He turned around and left quietly.
The female lion stared at his back for a while. After seeing him leave, she lowered her head and continued to eat.
There were almost no birds in the empty forest.
Chu Xiaoye walked for a while, feeling a little dizzy. He could only return to the camp.
The cold father and the female lions were sleeping in the shade.
They were still hungry.
When Little Curly Tail and Mei Mei saw him return, they quickly got up and ran over, looking at him eagerly.
They were also very hungry.
Chu Xiaoye looked at them. Their healthy and full bodies formed a sharp contrast to the thin and withered lioness earlier.
Now, there were probably animals that died of hunger or thirst in every corner of the gra.s.sland.
He did not dare to guess the cause of death of the two young cubs.
He was afraid that he had misunderstood or guessed correctly.
He ignored Little Curly Tail and Mei Mei, walked under the Baobab tree, and climbed up.
The dry season had just begun.
In the future, every day would become more and more unbearable.
He could not let them use the food stored on the tree now.
Unless they also had children that needed to be fed.
Chu Xiaoye climbed onto a branch, took out a half of a dried warthog from the storage room, and climbed down again.
At this moment, to Little Curly Tail and Mei Mei, these trashy prey that had previously occupied their painstakingly made nests immediately turned into delicacies that constantly stimulated their taste buds and hungry stomachs.
Seeing the warthog in their brother"s mouth, they drooled and hurriedly went up to him with fawning expressions.
They were extremely excited.
Dinner was finally ready!
"Roar—"
The cold father growled and stood up from the shade.
He deliberately did not look over. Instead, he yawned and raised his head with a dignified expression, wanting Chu Xiaoye to notice him.
This little fellow had always understood the rules. He did not need his reminder to know who to give that piece of meat to.
The female lions, who were resting, also raised their heads and looked covetously at the piece of warthog.
They had been hungry for several days.
But.
Chu Xiaoye ignored them and did not even look at them. He picked up the meat and crawled into the bushes at the back, leaving quickly.
The cold father stayed in place, seemingly unable to accept this result.
This kid had just been sensible for a few days. Was he starting to become arrogant again?
Xi"er looked at the figure with flickering eyes, as if she understood something.
Seeing that their brother was ignoring them, Little Curly Tail and Mei Mei hurriedly followed. They ran anxiously beside him and let out pitiful cries.
It seemed to be saying, "Brother, hungry! Meat! I want to eat meat!"
Now, did they not feel that these tasteless meat were all trash anymore?
Little Curly Tail was about to throw them all away back then.
At this moment, they finally understood their brother"s good intentions and his extraordinary intelligence.
They prostrated themselves in admiration.
The meat was prepared for them!
There were so many of them that they filled three whole storage rooms. It was definitely enough for them to eat their fill every day.
But now, why was her brother biting the meat and ignoring them?
They were hungry and anxious. They cried out loud, twisting their bodies one moment, wagging their tails the next, and going up to lick their brother"s b.u.t.t the next.
They had all sorts of tricks and kept fawning over their brother, but unfortunately, they did not let their brother look at them.
After a while, the two little fellows were panting from exhaustion. Their mouths were dry, and they could only stop those comical actions.
They followed their brother, wanting to see where he brought the meat to.
When they pa.s.sed by the forest, Chu Xiaoye slowed down and turned his head to look at the border of the Seno brothers" pride.
He wondered if the lioness was still there.
However, what did it have to do with him?
He bit the meat and continued forward.
Soon, they arrived at the rocky hill.
He looked around warily for a while before climbing up the hill and walking towards the pile of rocks.
Little Curly Tail opened his mouth and panted. He started crying out in dissatisfaction again.
What was his brother doing? He was so hungry!
Just as they approached a cave, there was a sudden roar from inside. It was the nervous and fierce roar of a female lion!
Little Curly Tail and Mei Mei were shocked.
Then, they were stunned. That was Maya"s voice. Maya was actually hiding inside! Was their brother here to give Maya meat to eat?
Chu Xiaoye stopped at the entrance of the cave and did not dare to move forward. He could only place the meat in his mouth on the ground and retreat with Little Curly Tail and Mei Mei.
Not long after, Maya lowered her body and climbed out of the cave. She quickly walked in front of the piece of warthog and immediately wolfed it down.
She looked hungry.
At this moment, two small, furry heads suddenly popped out of the cave. They let out childish cries. Their round eyes were clear and bright, and they looked adorable.
At this moment, the grievance and dissatisfaction Little Curly Tail and Mei Mei felt towards their brother immediately vanished into thin air.
The corners of their mouths split open as they widened their eyes and stared blankly at the adorable new lives.
They were their younger brothers or sisters.