Chapter 72 - Disease
It was already late at night.
The desolate cries of a jackal came from the grassland in the distance.
No one knew if he was calling for his wife or looking for his lost child.
The arrival of the dry season filled every animal’s family with danger.
When Chu Xiaoye returned to the camp with fresh meat in his mouth, Catherine had already fallen asleep.
He had already finished drinking from the water bag.
The piece of deer meat in front of him was also eaten clean.
It seemed that she had recovered a little.
He wondered if it was the effect of the saliva.
Chu Xiaoye placed the flesh of the black antelope in front of her. Then, he went over and climbed up the Baobab tree to rest.
On the tree.
Little Curly Tail and Mei Mei were sleeping soundly.
The battle and running around today made them extremely tired.
After he licked the wounds on their bodies, there was no risk of infection.
They needed to rest.
The entire pride needed to rest.
Ten days later.
Callie, who was more than three months pregnant, quietly left the camp and no one knew where she went.
When lionesses gave birth, they would leave alone and find a safe place to give birth to them, so that their cubs would not be hurt.
The river at the foot of the hill had become very shallow.
Although it was murky and full of mud, every evening, the animals that came to drink water would fight each other to drink a mouthful of water.
The hippos had already left.
On the shore of the river, there was an old hippopotamus that had died of illness. It was being divided up by the crocodiles and vultures.
The crocodiles were extremely territorial. They seemed unwilling to leave the river that was about to dry up and continued to stay here alone.
However, the hot sun during the day made them feel uncomfortable even if they crawled into the thick mud.
Therefore, they climbed ashore, came to the bushes, and crawled into the dense bushes to avoid the sun.
Hence, the crocodiles clashed with the lions.
The pride would never allow these ferocious fellows to lie near their camp!
Especially when there were still fragile cubs in the pride.
The cold father brought the five female lions and roared as they chased away the crocodiles. However, they did not gain much.
The crocodiles were unwilling to leave.
They raised their heads and opened their mouths, revealing their sharp teeth as they faced the pride.
Although the pride was powerful, they could not do anything about these fellows who were also at the top of the food chain on the grassland.
Both sides were afraid of the other party’s sharp teeth.
Fortunately, once the sky turned dark, the crocodiles would retreat to the river at the foot of the hill.
The pride could only compromise and strengthen their vigilance.
At the back of the camp, the forest that had been snatched away by the Seno brothers’ pride seemed to have become a blank space in the middle of the two prides.
The Seno brothers’ pride had not appeared in the bushes for a long time.
The Seno brothers did not pee there again, as if they had already given up on the territory that they had just snatched.
This surprised and puzzled the pride of the cold father.
However, in order to avoid unnecessary conflict, the cold father did not go there to pee again.
The female lions did not dare to go over to hunt.
Hence, the forest became an ownerless forest.
Every night, Chu Xiaoye would bring Little Curly Tail and Mei Mei to train all sorts of survival skills.
Recently.
Chu Xiaoye always felt that Little Curly Tail and Mei Mei’s speed and strength had increased by leaps and bounds, growing extremely quickly.
The bodies of the two little fellows seemed to have been enhanced as well. Their endurance and spirit were much stronger than before.
He thought about it carefully and felt that it might have been because of his saliva.
Or perhaps it was because of his blood.
When they were injured previously, he had helped them lick their wounds. His saliva had mixed with their blood and might have entered their bodies. When he was injured previously, they had also helped him lick his wounds, and they must have swallowed his blood.
These things might be changing their bodies like the heat in his body.
Of course, this was just a guess.
Catherine had recovered her health since that night.
However, this female cub still felt inferior and reserved, and did not dare to play with them.
However, she would follow them secretly every night to the bushes at the back and learn some skills.
She practised very diligently.
Ever since the pride ate a full meal of the giraffe’s flesh last time, they did not have a good meal again during this time.
The female lions had a hard time. Every night, they would go out to hunt.
However, they always returned with nothing.
In ten days, they only caught a single warthog and could not fill their stomachs.
Due to the threat of the crocodiles and the covetous gazes of the other carnivores, they did not dare to run too far.
The weather was getting hot and dry.
The annoying flies and mosquitoes also appeared in groups, looking for damp and cool places.
The lions’ nostrils and eyes, even their ears and anus, had become where they attacked.
These rulers of the grassland who had almost no natural enemies seemed so helpless and weak in front of these little things.
They waved their tails, shook their heads, and twisted their bodies. They even extended their claws comically and clumsily and helplessly chased away these annoying mosquitoes.
However, it was useless.
On this night.
When Chu Xiaoye brought Little Curly Tail and Mei Mei into the bushes at the back and prepared to continue training, he discovered a sick female lion at the border of the Seno brothers’ pride next door.
The female lion lay on the ground with her mouth open. Her abdomen heaved violently and she was on the verge of death.
On her head, back, and thigh, many scars with pus appeared.
It was crawling with flies.
The fur on her body also became bald in a few places and was full of white spots. She looked exceptionally terrifying and miserable.
This was Catherine’s mother.
She lay on the ground helplessly, facing the direction of the pride of cold father. Her gaze was unfocused, and even when she saw Chu Xiaoye and the others, she did not have any reaction.
She had already lost her life force and had no strength to struggle.
She was seriously ill and could not recover.
For every lioness, when they knew that they were about to die, they would quietly leave the pride and find a quiet place to wait for death alone. They would never let their children see them.
She came to the borders of the territory and lay there, looking in the direction of the pride of cold father. One did not know if she was thinking about her once abandoned daughter.
Catherine hid in the bushes not far away and looked at her silently. Then, she slowly lowered her head.
She did not choose to go out.
Although her mother had once abandoned her in order to survive, she no longer had any hatred in her heart.
She did not want to go out and see her miserable appearance.
She wanted to leave her with her last bit of dignity.
In her heart, her mother was still the most beautiful hunter who had previously run vigorously and majestically on the grassland.
A familiar aura suddenly assaulted him.
Catherine looked up and saw that the figure that fascinated her had arrived in front of her at some point.
His amber eyes were like the stars in the night, so bright and dazzling that it made her heart tremble.
“Bam!”
He gave her a swipe, then turned around and ordered her to follow.