Chapter 33 33: Hunting

[1st POV] (2 years and 1 month old) It's been five days since I came to the Serengeti, my new home. And from the explorations I've done during the past few days, I could say that the Serengeti was infinitely bigger than the Pride Lands. Like seriously, it's baffling how big this place is. There was virtually no end. It was unlike the Pride Lands, where you would eventually stumble upon the unforgiving cliffs no matter which direction you went. It was like solid ocean in its endlessness. But perhaps it was the Pride Lands that were weird and not the other way around. The vastness of the land posed some expected troubles for a predator like me. For example, tracking prey was much more important when hunting. The wide area also means that preys were spread around so opportunities were limited and scarce. I was starting to understand why those hyenas were so persistent in stealing my food. Prey doesn't come by so easily so food was precious. It was a seemingly easy concept to grasp but as a cub that grew up under Mufasa and Scar's reign, I was a little slow in this regard. I fought for food sure but I fought for excess food for my growth. The other animals here fought for food barely enough for survival there was no excess. I was starting to realize how spoiled I was. It was funny but not in a way that made me want to laugh. After four days of not eating anything my stomach was starting to demand food once more. Hunger grew at the pit of my stomach like a bottomless abyss. Any other lion could go a week with the amount of food I ate but I was growing and needed more food than the rest. The injuries I sustained from all the conflicts that happened recently were now healed. I was hungry and my body was in its prime state to hunt. So I jog across the plains with my ears and nose tracking prey. But more than that I was relying on Grim to lead me towards the prey. "How far?" I asked the vulture flying overhead. "You're almost there. They should come into view pretty soon," Grim replied and flapped his wings to fly even higher in the sky. Having a bird as your scout was an absolute cheat code. I could understand why Mufasa kept Zazu alive all those years and made him the advisor. Without the help of Grim, it would surely take me more time and effort to track down the herd. This world was not Disney but it was not exactly like my past life either. There was a middle ground where the supernatural settled in reality there was enough room for me to take advantage if I lived smart. Just the fact that all animals share a common language and can communicate brought a whole new realm of possibility to explore. Scar allied with hyenas Mufasa did with a monkey and a bird. Perhaps I could go even further than that. I wonder what would it take to ally with an elephant. Maybe I could threaten to kill their baby if they don't listen to me. Better yet what if I kill the baby and make them hate lions in general so that they would attack the Siringet pride? While endless thoughts some stupid and some revolutionary orbit my mind I finally reached the herd of prey. I could see them grazing on the green plain from a distance. "Look at them, food with legs," I commented while licking my lips. But upon closer inspection, I realized what type of animal the herd was and my good mood plummeted instantly. "A herd of impala seriously?" I said with a sigh. There was nothing wrong with having an impala as dinner but there was something peculiar about them. And that was, they were one of the most difficult prey to catch. Impala were extremely agile and they had this way of running in a zigzag instead of a straight line. One could say that they were mixing leaps with running to change direction during a sprint. Even cheetahs struggled to catch them. But that was not the worst part. The worst part was how cowardly they were. Impala were known to be quick to flee. They move in close packed herds and if one among hundreds of eyes saw you it was over. Well, I was always known to be a great stalker. I thought to myself and headed down towards the herd. I kept low to the ground my wide shoulders spread and allowed a low centre of gravity. My giant paws spread my weight on the earth so that I move without a single sound. I was low enough that my belly brushed against the cool blades of the tall grass. Every step was a whisper every breath a measured ghost. I was the very definition of stealth with the kind of movement I've earned by practising a million thousand times. If anyone had watched me they would've thought I was born for this. Which was not far off I forged myself into this. But even with all that it wasn't easy. This wasn't the Pride Lands. The Serengeti had a different rhythm and a different flavour in the air. The ground was rougher, more uneven. The breeze wasn't a consistent companion, it was more like a sly trickster that changed direction randomly. I couldn't predict it. I didn't trust it. It felt like the land itself was against me. Still, I inched forward with my eyes fixed on the herd of impalas grazing near the richer grass. They stood in a cluster so it was hard to pick one target. Therefore I approached them as a whole. My ears rotated and filtered the sounds. Birds, insects, the gentle murmur of hooves shifting on earth. No alarm yet. Good. I checked the wind with a flick of my tongue. Still blowing across my left shoulder. Not ideal but I could work with that. I moved even closer, with my back paws falling in the same spots as my front. Those places were without a twig or dry leaf so they don't make a sound. I was so silent I could hear my own heartbeat. And then an ear twitched. A head rose. Another followed. Then a third. I stopped moving and lay down on the ground. I did not know where I went wrong but somehow some of the impala noticed my presence. They move their head with jerking motions. They looked everywhere which told me that they didn't know where I was. But then one of them released a snort and they all flinched. They did not run but they quickly moved away from their position. I could read their body language so I knew they were even more guarded and alert. I watched them move away from the spot and choose a further place with barely any grass or bushes which I could use to sneak up to them. At that point, it was no use hiding so I sat upright. My face was twitching and I was totally speechless. Because I realized they never sensed me like at all. It was akin to one of the impala saying he had a gut feeling and they all heeded his words and moved away. What the actual fuck kind of instinct was that. They took being cautious to the next level. Who do they think they are Batman? "Unbelievable," I whispered to myself. Perhaps it was because they had many predators unlike back home. There were lion pride numbering 30 members. I've also noticed an abundance of predators like wild dogs, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas etc in this land. Perhaps because of them, the prey were more cautious. I could not stress enough how the Pride Land was heaven compared to the outside world. I walked away from the place while observing the herd. I was going to circle around them and stalk them again from another direction. I remembered the first impala who felt my presence and I was going to attack from the opposite of where he was. So I stalked the herd for a second time. I was even more careful with my second approach. I stalked them with the patience of a mother on her child. I did not rush I did not force anything. I spent almost an hour just flanking them. And when I saw that many were busy grazing only then did I even take steps towards them. But in the end, my second attempt also failed. This time it was due to a factor that was out of my control. "Damnit!!" I said and sat upright when I felt the wind blowing my scent towards them. The breeze ruffled my fur and gently whispered to me that it screwed me over. The impala caught my scent and they ran with grunts. I did not chase them so they did not run far. But still, they were in a new area which meant that I would have to start over again. ... "No luck huh," Grim asked while landing beside me. "What do you think?" I asked back in a foul mood. I should not expect my first two tries to succeed but it still pissed me off. "Should I scout for another herd?" Grim asked but I shook my head without giving it a thought. "No need just give me some time," I said and moved away from the grassland. If one thing didn't work I shall find a way that does. I was not some dumb creature that stuck to one thing and died if that didn't work. I was a fan of Bear Grylls. What was it that he said? Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. I will have an impala for dinner. ... ... ... [IMAGE] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extra for 400. Thanks for the stones