章節 10: Chapter 10: Giving Names

Kael followed the lions and lionesses who formed a straight line. The pride leader and Uncle led from the front, the lionesses were right behind them.

The oldest lioness, also a mother of two female cubs, was right behind the pride leader. Kael called her Big Aunt because she was the 'oldest' looking female around.

One of her daughters was a juvenile while the other was one of the four sub-adults in the pride. Kael guessed that both daughters would probably join the pride as the pride leader's consorts at some point.

Kael walked behind his mother, on his two sides were his brother and sister. His other sister was walking in front of their mother.

Kael looked at his sister carefully. She had smooth brown fur and spots on her limbs that would fade away as she grew. Her eyes were reddish brown, bearing one sort of resemblance to their father.

She was also the most playful of all the cubs. Unfortunately, her plays tended to be violent and usually ended up with bite and scratch marks.

'I'll call you, Eidel,' Kael thought in his mind. Eidel of course could not read his mind, she just continued strolling beside them.

His brother of the same age on the other hand was what one would call an unnecessarily aggressive animal. He was always quiet and tended to keep to himself in most cases. But when it came to things he wanted but couldn't have, it always ended up in a fight.

He didn't even play much, he just straight up bared his teeth and claws whenever he was dissatisfied.

'You'll be Bardu,' Kael named him.

Then he looked at his mother. Her long tail swished from left to right, carrying a minute breeze with it.

Kael's mother had always been very gentle and very overprotective of her cubs, especially Kael. Kael had often seen her observing him when he was resting on his boulder or doing something else away from her.

At first, it creeped him out, but he got used to the fact that someone was watching over him wherever he was.

Even now, he was certain that although her back was turned on them, her senses weren't.

'In this world, you're my mother, I'll call you Nalii,' He concluded.

These lions didn't know a transmigrator had bestowed names upon them, not that it would have mattered to them at this point.

As the lions and lionesses walked across the plains, Kael took his time to observe his surroundings.

It was nice to be away from the den finally. There were indeed new sceneries that he wouldn't have had the chance to see.

The grasses, especially the grasses, were taller than the one he saw back at the hill area. Some of the tall grass were green and some were already turning yellow from the lack of water.

Kael also got to see some animals, mostly herbivores. Animals like zebras, wildebeests, and buffalo were common.

Most of these animals were only seen from a distance as they would never intentionally make the mistake of coming close to the pride of lions.

Kael could see how all the animals maintained a far distance. He was bewildered by the wildebeest nature the most.

The wildebeests lived in large herds that easily had numbers of hundreds, they could be even close to a thousand.

But despite their advantage in numbers, they were so afraid of the lions that they ran as soon as they saw them.

It was herd mentality at its finest. Kael also wondered why the lions and lionesses were not attempting to hunt any animals, they just kept walking like they did not care about their food.

The grasses were tall enough for the lions to take cover and stalk any prey at the moment, yet they walked with their body exposed for all to see. Kael felt that even if they were hungry, they probably had other plans.

*ROAR!*

Another thing that scared away any potential prey was the jolly roars of Kael's older brother, 'Pavel', and his three friends.

Those four sub-adults were truly a pain in the ass for the entire pride. They liked playing with their prey when hunting and were always making noise or disturbing the other lionesses.

Unfortunately, they were still needed, when the pride usually went hunting or on patrol of the territory, the sub-adults were usually the ones to stay behind to watch the cubs.

It wasn't that they wanted to stay behind though, but the sub-adults were just too lazy to go out hunting. They'd rather sleep away at the dens than hunt for their food.

In this area, the lions have been proven to be thoughtful and caring for their own. At least, Kael has seen his mother, Big Aunt, and other lionesses bring pieces of meat in their jaws.

One time, his mother brought back the neck and head of a zebra for Pavel. It was her way of appreciation for watching over the cubs.

But Kael knew it wouldn't last. The cubs were growing and they would soon be eager to follow their mothers on hunting or their father on a patrol. There would be no cubs to watch over at that time.

Pavel and his buddies would either have to contribute in some other way or face the consequences.

After more than an hour of walking, the pride eventually made it to their destination.

Kael was amazed, he had scented a strange new smell as they drew closer but he didn't know what it was. It felt like his nose was being barraged with different smells yet one stood out the most.

It was the smell of water.

The pride stood on an elevated piece of land with the pride leader at the forefront. From this place, Kael got a good look at where they were.

Before them was a river, not just any river, but a very vast river. And at the river bank were different animals, carnivores and herbivores, drinking water under some strange agreement.

Unbeknownst to them, the ultimate masters of the wild had arrived, and the look the lionesses gave these animals wasn't one of negligence like they had done on their way here.

No, now their claws were out and their eyes widened, they could make a move at any moment.